Department for Transport

Shipping: Crew

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to encourage (a) Commonwealth and (b) other nations to provide hub services for the embarkation and disembarkation of UK and international seafarers.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK has not placed restrictions on the transit and transfer of seafarers. I have previously written to the International Maritime Organization asking for an international solution to this issue, confirming the UK’s position on crew changes, and also urged other countries to allow crew changes to take place. The UK has also exempted seafarers from the quarantine requirements. The Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have always looked to support other maritime nations and to share best practice whatever the topic and we work closely with both domestic and international social partners and the international bodies and other flag states. The UK will host the first international summit on the impact of Covid-19 on crew changes on Thursday July 9th and will include an audience from the UN, overseas Ministers and international maritime bodies.

National Air Traffic Services: Coronavirus

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to provide financial support to NATS during the covid-19 outbreak.

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the financial sustainability of NATS to maintain management of (a) UK sovereign airspace and (b) operational air traffic services to (i) airlines and (ii) airports.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has set out an unprecedented package of financial support options for the aviation industry. We expect this to be made use of before bespoke support could be considered. I have met with NATS, and departmental officials remain in regular contact with the NATS senior management team, to understand the financial impacts on the company from the current crisis, how these impacts are being managed and the potential need for financial support. We understand the risk of short term insolvency at this point to be low and we are working with them on the longer term.

Railway Stations: Retail Trade

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to support businesses located in train stations who have been impacted financially by a reduction in passenger rail travel.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government has taken steps to support commercial businesses, including those located within railway stations. These measures include amending the Coronavirus Act to extend the time period for suspension of the forfeiture of evictions from 30 June to 30 September and landlords will also be prevented from using Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery unless they are owed 189 days of unpaid rent. In addition, the temporary ban on the use of statutory demands and winding-up petitions, where a company cannot pay its bills due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has been extended to 30 September. The government has also ensured that businesses and workers have access to unprecedented packages of support, including £330 billion of government-backed and guaranteed loans.

A14: Suffolk

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to upgrade the A14 in Suffolk to enhance the route for transport between the port of Felixstowe and the areas incorporating the midlands engine and northern powerhouse schemes.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide additional funding to upgrade the A14 in Suffolk.

Rachel Maclean: The Government recognises the importance of the A14 as a key artery and has invested £1.5 billion in the recently-opened improvements between Cambridge and Huntingdon. The second Road Investment Strategy, published with the Budget in March, confirmed funding for the development of a scheme to enhance the Copdock Interchange in Suffolk to enable smoother journeys for goods vehicles to and from the Port of Felixstowe.

Parking: Coronavirus

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will encourage local authorities to (a) ease parking restrictions and (b) lower parking charges in town centres to support people who are choosing to drive rather than use public transport during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: Local authorities need to decide on appropriate parking restrictions to manage a safe and controlled recovery from COVID-19. The British Parking Association, the Local Government Association and London Councils have published co-branded advice for local authorities, which is updated regularly to reflect the latest position in response to Covid-19. It includes recommendations that authorities prioritise parking restrictions at locations of heightened activity where a lack of controls would have a significant detrimental impact on safety and traffic management. The advice also recommends that local authorities consider taking a more flexible approach to their parking charging strategies where possible, within the bounds of statutory processes.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent advice his Department has received from Public Health England on the safe restarting of driving tests as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The DVSA has consulted with Public Health England and has released an updated version of its standard operating procedure and risk assessments to driving examiners, which contains social distancing measures and safety precautions, to ensure the safe restart of driving tests. The DVSA is currently engaging with Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure it engages with Health advisors before services are resumed in both.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received advice from Public Health England on the safety of clinically vulnerable DVSA staff who conduct driving tests as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The DVSA has consulted with Public Health England (PHE) to ensure the safety of all its staff when resuming testing services. The DVSA will be following the guidance PHE has provided to Government for those who are Extremely Clinically Vulnerable and those who are Clinically Vulnerable. Driving examiners will wear face coverings on test and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers. Candidates will be asked to bring and wear a face covering attending for test, unless they have a good reason not to. Candidates are reminded they should not come for test if they have any symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate by test and trace. Similar guidance has been provided to the approved driving instructors.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of DVSA staff to socially distance while conducting driving tests.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The approach being taken has been developed with input from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Public Health England (PHE). To prevent the spread of coronavirus and keep staff and candidates safe:Driving examiners will wear face coverings and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers.The number of people arriving for a driving test at the same time will be limited and all meet and greet will be undertaken achieving social distancing.Driving instructors or supervising drivers will not be allowed to sit in the back of the car during the test.Candidates will be asked to bring and wear a face covering attending for test, unless they have a good reason not to.Driving test centre waiting rooms and toilets will be closed except for those who have a disability, medical condition, or who are pregnant. The amount of time spent in the vehicle will be minimised:If a candidate makes a serious or dangerous fault, which means they have failed, the driving examiner will direct them back to the driving test centre, where the test will end.At the end of the test, the driving examiner will give the test result feedback outside of the vehicle.Driving instructors can listen to the test result feedback if it is safe to do so.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what personal protective equipment will be provided to DVSA staff conducting driving tests; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. To keep driving examiners safe, and help prevent the spread of coronavirus, examiners will wear face coverings and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers. These measures have been put in place following discussions with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Public Health England (PHE).

Railways: Coronavirus

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 60669, whether there have been changes to the pre-Emergency Measures Agreements obligations requiring train operators to provide periodic management accounts to his Department and the two operators that are in direct public ownership in relation to management accounts, profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) continue existing Franchise Agreement obligations on train operators to provide management accounts to the Department for each 4-week rail period. An equivalent obligation also applies to the two operators that are in direct public ownership. The EMAs include an additional provision that requires the management accounts to show greater disaggregation of the periodic profit and loss account, to allow more detailed scrutiny of expenditure by the Department.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the DVLA to respond to the change of address registration application for an HGV driving licence, reference WM509761918GB, sent by recorded delivery on 7 May 2020; and when the updated driving licence will be returned.

Rachel Maclean: I have asked the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to look into this particular case as a matter of urgency and will ensure my Honourable Friend receives a reply directly.

Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessments he has made of the ability of driving instructors to conduct driving lessons safely during driving lessons as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. Driving instructors are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe. Guidance on how they can carry out risk assessments can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website. The DVSA would encourage all driving instructors to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website for further advice and information: http://www.n-a-s-p.co.uk/

Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to publish public health guidance for driving instructors on providing lessons safely as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. Driving instructors are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe. The DVSA has released an updated version of its standard operating procedure to driving examiners, which driving instructors might wish to refer to when developing their own health and safety procedures. The DVSA will be sending this directly to driving instructors and it will be hosted on the National Associations Strategic Partnership website. The DVSA would encourage all driving instructors to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website for further advice and information: http://www.n-a-s-p.co.uk/

Taxis: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to make the use of face coverings in taxis compulsory in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State’s announcement that from 15 June face coverings will be required while using public transport in England does not cover taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs); both are already able to implement measures to protect drivers and passengers including a requirement for passengers to wear a face covering (clearly taking account of those who cannot do so, such as people with disabilities). Taxi drivers are able to refuse carriage to passengers where it is reasonable to do so, this might include those that are able but refuse to wear a face covering. PHV operators can make the wearing of face covering a condition of hiring. We are aware of PHV operators that are doing this and requiring the drivers they work with to do the same.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Greater Manchester

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic benefits of High Speed Two to Manchester.

Andrew Stephenson: The full business case for High Speed 2 Phase One ‘Moving Britain Ahead’ was published in April 2020. This sets out the latest assessment of the economic impacts of HS2. Previous analysis suggested that around 18% of the overall transport user benefits will be distributed to passengers from the North West with the full HS2 network in place (HS2 Ltd’s ‘Economic case advice for the DfT’ publication in 2017). Passengers from Manchester and across the North West will benefit from improved connectivity and reduced journeys times to and within the North. Better connectivity promotes wider economic growth and potential gains from regeneration and local growth strategies supporting the levelling up of the UK economy. As part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands we will look at how best to integrate HS2 Phase 2b and wider transport plans in the north and Midlands as well as how best to reduce costs.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tattooing: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what scientific advice was the decision to delay the reopening of tattoo parlours based.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the decision to reopen tattoo parlors will be reviewed.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will review when reflexologists can reopen their businesses.

Paul Scully: Following my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement, from 4 July hairdressers and barbers in England will be able to reopen, to offer hairdressing services, once they are following the COVID-secure guidelines.Other close contact services, like reflexologists and tattoo parlours remain closed until further notice.We are taking a phased, cautious approach to reopening our economy, working with businesses, trade associations and medical experts on the safest way to reopen close contact services like massage therapists, beauty salons and tattoo parlours, where there is often greater risk of transmission due to prolonged periods of face-to-face contact and close proximity between staff and customers.We intend to allow close contact services, such as reflexologists and tattoo parlours to re-open as soon as it is safe to do so.Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and the CSA and CMO attended the C-19 Strategy Committee where the next phase of the roadmap was discussed. SAGE provides world-leading scientific advice to the government. However, making any changes depends on us continuing to meet the five tests.

Wind Power

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will place in the Library a copy of the supply chain plans for consented offshore wind contract for difference projects.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The redacted supply chain plans for renewable energy projects that were awarded Contracts for Difference (CfD) in the CfD Allocation Round 3 will be published on the Government website shortly. The supply chain plans for previous Allocation Rounds can be found here: Allocation Round 1https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-supply-chain-plans-for-projects-over-300mw-which-secured-contracts Allocation Round 2https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-2nd-allocation-round-supply-chain-plans-for-projects-over-300mw-which-secured-contracts-2017

Wind Power

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including binding contractual clauses for supply chain plan estimates in future contract for difference offshore wind projects.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what penalties his Department applies to offshore wind developers who fail to meet estimates made on (a) value and (b) jobs for the UK supply chain in awarded contract for differences.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what legal recourse his Department has to ensure that the original developer of a contract for difference for offshore wind sells (a) the project or (b) a majority stake in that project if they no longer meet the conditions on the UK supply chain in that contract.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department does not have the legal power to require the holder of a Contract for Difference to sell all or most of their stake in a project under these circumstances. The Secretary of State can take into account an Applicant’s failure to demonstrate that they have implemented a previously approved supply chain plan when considering a plan for a future CfD Allocation Round. This could lead to the Applicant (and any partner(s) with a 20% share or greater) having their supply chain plan rejected and therefore be prevented from entry to that CfD Allocation Round. We recently consulted on potential changes to the CfD scheme for the next allocation round, due to be held in 2021. This included questions around the potential merits of strengthening the powers to fail supply chain plans, including the remedies the Department could consider for Applicants who do fail, and of linking compliance with an approved supply chain plan with CfD payments. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation in due course.

Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his policy to maintain the Royal Mail Universal Service Obligation.

Paul Scully: The Universal Service Obligation is set out in the Postal Services Act 2011. There is a clear and transparent process for how changes to the universal service obligation would be considered and any change would need to be made through secondary legislation and agreed by Parliament.

Energy: Conservation

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his policy to invest £9.2 billion to improve the energy efficiency of (a) homes and (b) public buildings.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Tackling climate change and reaching our legally-binding emission reduction targets continue to be a top priority for the Government. We remain committed to our aspiration for as many homes as possible to reach Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective, and affordable. Improving the energy efficiency of existing homes will play a critical role in delivering our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, including Net Zero by 2050 as well as lifting households out of fuel poverty. We continue to enable greenhouse gas emission reductions in public buildings through the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme, and the fund for England will stand at £385 million by the end of 2020/21. BEIS remains committed to energy efficiency and decarbonising buildings, in line with the Manifesto commitment to invest £9.2 billion in low carbon buildings. The funding decisions are a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Energy: Conservation

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to help stimulate demand for energy efficiency retrofitting schemes.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in due course, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings.   These actions include the deployment of energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating as part of an ambitious programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions on how we achieve the mass transition to low-carbon heat and set us on a path to decarbonising all homes and buildings.  The Department remains committed to delivering the aspiration set out in the Clean Growth Strategy (CGS), that as many homes as possible, where practical, cost-effective and affordable, will be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2035.

Energy: Conservation

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of skilled workers to complete energy efficiency retrofitting for housing stock throughout the UK.

Kwasi Kwarteng: A good supply of skilled workers is essential in order to meet our aspiration for as many UK homes as possible to be EPC band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The Government has sponsored the development of Trustmark and PAS 2035 to ensure high standards among energy efficiency installers. We will continue to work with installers and training providers in order to grow the sector.

Non-surgical Cosmetic Treatments: Coronavirus

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether aesthetics clinics are permitted to reopen on 4 July 2020 as part of the easing of lockdown restrictions due to the covid-19 outbreak; and whether his Department plans to publish industry-specific guidance on operating in a covid-19 environment.

Paul Scully: All businesses that provide cosmetic procedures or treatments for aesthetic and beauty purposes fall into the definition of a beauty salon. These are currently required to remain closed until further notice. We have already provided (23 June) guidance for close contact services so that they can prepare to reopen where they are currently unable to. The Government continues to work with the sector to provide advice on which premises are permitted to reopen. We will provide further information as soon as possible.

Intu: Insolvency

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of Intu going into administration on job security in the retail sector; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the impact that coronavirus is having on job security in the retail sector and we have put together a far-reaching package of support for businesses and for the economy. We understand this will be a worrying time for Intu’s employees and their families and stand ready to support anyone affected in any way we can. This is a commercial matter for the company and we hope the administrators will be able to secure as many jobs as possible.

Intu: Insolvency

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with retail trade associations on the matter of Intu going into administration; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: We understand this will be a worrying time for Intu’s employees and their families and stand ready to support those who may be affected.I hold regular calls with non-food retailers and business representative organisations where I have had the chance to speak to and hear directly from a wide range of organisations and businesses.

Art Works: Royalties

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the annual value of the Artist's Resale Right to visual artists.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has made no recent assessment. Like other copyright licensing schemes run in the UK, the collection of artist’s resale right is managed by collective management organisations on behalf of artists. These organisations are mandated by artists to collect on their behalf, and are responsible for publishing information on artist income generated from the resale right in annual transparency reports.

Satellites

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of OneWeb's (a) R&D and (b) manufacturing takes place in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on those proportions in the event that the Government invests in that company's satellite broadband programme.

Amanda Solloway: The Government led a successful bid to acquire OneWeb, who develop cutting-edge satellite technology in the UK and in the United States. The deal will support the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing, and exploitation of novel satellite technologies, whilst boosting UK manufacturing. This deal will protect 70 existing jobs and the Government will be encouraging future roles to be based in the UK, both in OneWeb itself and in the wider supply chain. The UK will seek to develop further its advanced manufacturing base, making the most of its highly skilled workforce as the hardware is further developed and equipment and services are deployed to make the most of this unique capability. This Government has made clear its ambitions for space and is developing a new National Space Strategy to bring long-term strategic and commercial benefits to the UK. We are in regular discussions with the space industry as part of this work and how this could be taken forward.

Construction Industry: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a code of practice on the minimum teaching requirements for companies delivering scaffolding training.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government recognises that scaffolding is a safety-critical sector, and that scaffolding that is adequately erected and maintained can help to prevent accidents in the construction industry. The necessary levels of practical skills for scaffolders can be achieved through approved training and assessment programmes, in combination with experience in the workplace. The Government has no current plans to introduce a code of practice relating to teaching requirements for companies delivering scaffolding training.

Investors in People

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many UK (a) businesses and (b) universities are accredited as Investors in People.

Amanda Solloway: Investors in People is responsible for awarding the Investors in People standard. Since 1 February 2017 this has been a Community Interest Company, which is not part of the Government.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department will continue to provide contractual relief to suppliers where it is appropriate and in line with Procurement Policy Note 02/20** and 04/20*. We will continue to work constructively with each supplier on a case by case basis to determine the future of each contract, ensuring they are sustainable and achieving value for money. We continue to review this process in line with the guidance issued in Procurement Policy Note 04/20*. Conversations with suppliers regarding the nature and extent of specific financial relief are ongoing. We consider company names and work areas to constitute commercially sensitive information which we cannot disclose. *https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0420-recovery-and-transition-from-covid-19 **https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0220-supplier-relief-due-to-covid-19

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 61822 on Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of the easing of covid-19 lockdown restrictions on people from (a) Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and (b) other groups with protected characteristics.

Paul Scully: The Government continues to monitor the impact of easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and other groups with protected characteristics. Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic has been developed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions and industry bodies, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): www.gov.uk/workingsafely The Government has also developed a tool to help businesses in England to reopen safely during coronavirus. The tool encourages businesses to carry out a risk assessment and helps to identify the workplace adjustments that they should make. Employees can also use the tool to check what their workplace needs to do to keep people safe: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-reopening.

Business: Research

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the distribution of Government funding to support innovation in research-intensive businesses during and after the covid-19 outbreak, what proportion of the £750million grant package will be allocated to businesses (a) not in receipt of Innovate UK grants and (b) in receipt of Innovate UK grants.

Amanda Solloway: On 20th April, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £1.25 billion coronavirus package to protect firms driving innovation in the UK. This included £750 million of targeted support for the most R&D intensive small and medium size firms which will be available through Innovate UK’s grants and loan scheme. The Government has since confirmed that up to £500 million of this is for existing customers including £20 million of accelerated payments and up to £30 million for continuity grants and loans. £20 million of the remainder has been used to double the number of businesses receiving funding through the Innovate UK call for business led innovation in response to the crisis which was open to new customers. Over 800 companies have been successful in this competition. Innovate UK has also allocated up to £39 million to increase the business advisory support services available new and existing high-growth potential SMEs. The final part of this package was announced on the 27th June. The £191 million Sustainable Innovation Fund is open to new customers to help cutting-edge companies of all sizes recover, grow, and drive a re-building economy as well as support new green innovations, unleashing the sustainable industries of the future along the way. Beyond the Fast-Response competition, it is currently too early to state the number of businesses that have accessed this funding

Business: Government Assistance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2020 to Question 46121, what support is available to businesses with highly perishable stock that have been forced to close or delay reopening as a result of a local covid-19 lockdown.

Paul Scully: The Government has made an unprecedented amount of support available to businesses in response to the Covid-19 crisis including grants, loans, self-employed income support and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). We will carefully monitor need in relation to local lockdown and determine if additional support is required.

Airbus UK: Redundancy

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on discussions with Airbus UK on avoiding large scale redundancies at Airbus plants throughout (a) the UK and (b) its supply chairs.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have regular discussions with Airbus on a wide range of issues, including their announcement of plans to reduce their global workforce as a result of significantly reduced demand for aircraft due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aerospace companies are drawing upon the unprecedented package of Government support measures, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees. Aerospace is benefiting from over £6 billion of support; airlines and aerospace companies, including Airbus, have benefited from over £2 billion of support from the Bank of England Covid Corporate Financing Facility. These companies will also access over £500 million of research and development grants over the next three years. In addition, UK Export Finance expects to support £3.5 billion of support for aerospace exports over the next 18 months. We will continue to work closely with the aerospace industry to position it for a return to growth. We appreciate this is a worrying time for those workers at Airbus UK whose jobs may be affected and we will do all we can to support them through the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centre Plus in England, and in Wales through the services offered through the ReAct programme.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64970 on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the benefit of the CBILS guarantee is passed through to the borrower.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64971 on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), what steps the Government is taking to ensure that lenders pass the economic benefit of the existence of the Government's 80 per cent guarantee of a CBILS facility to the borrower through lower pricing than that borrower may otherwise have had.

Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), accreditation agreement makes clear that the interest rate at which the Lender is prepared to lend at, and any associated fees, should be based on a Lender’s normal pricing framework. The agreement also makes clear that lenders must pass the economic benefit of the Government guarantee to the borrower.Lenders undergo periodic audits. Samples of transactions will be analysed during the audit to check that scheme eligibility rules and processes have been followed, including whether the economic benefits of the CBILS Guarantee has been passed on to borrowers in the form of lower borrowing costs.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 30 June 2020 to Questions 64970 and 64971 on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), whether interest rates of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme loans are required to remain in line with the lender’s normal pricing framework after the initial 12 month period of the loan.

Paul Scully: The accreditation agreement for CBILS lenders makes clear that the interest rate at which the lender is prepared to lend at, and any associated fees, should be based on a lender’s normal pricing framework throughout the duration of the facility, taking into account the benefits and costs of the guarantee.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) how many businesses have received Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme loans and (b) how many of those loans have had interest rates of 10 per cent or more.

Paul Scully: As of 28 June, a total of 52,257 loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), with a value of £10.53 billion. We are currently unable to provide a breakdown of lending by interest rate. We are considering what more detailed data on CBILS and other schemes can be published going forward. The interest rate charged on a CBILS facility varies in line with the lender’s own policies, as would be the case with any commercial facility. However, under the terms of the State aid framework, the Government fully expects that the benefit of the guarantee under the CBILS will be passed through to the borrower.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when (a) nail bars, (b) tanning salons, (c) beauticians and (d) tattoo parlours will re-open as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement to the House on 23 June where he announce that hairdressers and barbers in England will be able to reopen from 4 July, once they are following the COVID-secure guidelines. Other close contact services, like tanning salons, beauticians, and tattoo parlours remain closed until further notice. We are taking a phased, cautious approach to reopening our economy, working with businesses, trade associations and medical experts on the safest way to reopen close contact services like beauty salons, where there is often greater risk of transmission due to prolonged periods of face-to-face contact and close proximity between staff and customers. We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses, and we intend to allow close contact services, such as nail bars, to re-open as soon as it is safe to do so. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the risk to business owners' personal assets of banks, that supply loans as part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, requiring the owners of the applicant businesses to provide personal guarantees of the 20 per cent of the value of the loan which is not covered by the Government's guarantee on applicants' personal financial circumstances; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: We have made no specific assessment. We would expect a lender to follow its normal credit policy when assessing additional security generally. Personal guarantees of any form cannot be used in respect of any Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) facilities up to £250,000. For facilities of £250,000 and over, claims on personal guarantees applied to the scheme facility cannot exceed 20% of losses on the scheme facility after all other recoveries have been applied. A Principal Private Residence cannot be taken as security to support a personal guarantee.

Civil Partnerships and Marriage: Coronavirus

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to update guidance on marriages and civil partnerships to allow wedding receptions to be held after ceremonies during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: We recognise the importance of weddings to people, both to couples wishing to get married and their friends and families, and the wider industry which enables weddings to take place. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced that wedding ceremonies of up to 30 people can resume from 4 July. The Government is continuing to engage with representatives from the industry to explore how wedding celebrations, including receptions, may be resumed in a Covid-secure way, once it is safe to do so.

Biofuels: Subsidies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government has spent on subsidising biomass for electricity in each of the last three years, and if he will make a statement.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Subsidies for generating electricity from biomass are paid under three low carbon electricity schemes: the Renewables Obligation, the Feed-in Tariff, and Contracts for Difference. The Renewables Obligation does not pay a direct subsidy: instead support is provided through tradeable certificates. The costs of the Contracts for Difference scheme are levied on consumer electricity bills. The table below provides a breakdown of payments made to biomass electricity generators under the Renewables Obligation and Contracts for Difference schemes in the last three financial years where figures are available[1]: Breakdown of payments made to biomass electricity generators by low carbon electricity support schemeScheme2017-18 (£m)2018-19 (£m)2019-20 (£m) Renewables Obligation[2]864.71,076.1966.3[3] Contracts for Difference[4]247.3380.2449.1  [1] Figures are not available broken down by technology for the Feed-in Tariff scheme.[2] Renewables Obligation figures are based on Ofgem’s certificate report as at 17 June 2020 from their Renewables and CHP Register.[3] Renewables Obligation figures for 2019/20 are provisional as not all the certificates have been issued yet, and the full notional value of each certificate is not yet known.[4] Contracts for Difference figures are from the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) CfD dashboard, which is available on LCCC’s website.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government undertook a thorough analysis of Tidal Lagoon Power’s proposed tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay and their plans for a follow-on programme of lagoons in June 2018. The statement made to Parliament by the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy set out the government’s position. In that statement, he stated that neither the Swansea Bay project nor TLP’s follow on programme of lagoons represented value for money. Our understanding is that the costs of the project remain at approximately £1.3 billion.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he had made an assessment of the potential merits of a regulated asset based model to finance the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Contracts for Difference are the main policy vehicle supporting the delivery of low carbon electricity. They provide long-term price stabilisation for low carbon plant, allowing investments to come forward at a lower cost of capital and therefore lower cost to consumers. This was the basis under which the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project was considered and assessed. The analysis clearly showed that the project did not represent value for money for consumers and tax payers.

Business: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage businesses to incorporate gender impact assessments into their plans to reopen with alternative working arrangements after the covid-19 lockdown.

Paul Scully: The Government’s Safer Working guidance does not affect employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation. For example, this guidance does not change employers’ responsibilities towards new or expectant mothers. Workers who are pregnant are part of the “clinically vulnerable” group who are at higher risk of coronavirus. Employers, therefore, need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others.

Post Office: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of compensation received by subpostmasters affected by the Horizon scandal.

Paul Scully: While the Government is pleased that a resolution has been reached on this difficult matter, the Post Office led the mediation and the Government was not party to it. The financial settlement is a major step towards resolving some of these grievances, however there is more for the Post Office to do. The Post Office has committed to a major programme of work to overhaul its relationship with postmasters which Government is determined to see delivered.

Universities: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on university research capacity of the potential reduction in international students studying in the UK in 2020-21.

Amanda Solloway: The Government fully recognise the implications for financial sustainability of university research from potential decline in income from international students, and other sources. BEIS officials are working with colleagues in Department for Education, Office for Students and UK Research and Innovation, and with the university sector, to understand and assess the potential scale of the impacts, taking account of range of actions to encourage continued recruitment of international students, and to open up higher education institutions from September.On June 27th we announced a support package to sustain research capacity and capability which might otherwise be impacted. From this autumn, UK universities will be able to access a government funded package of long-term, low interest loans, supplemented by a small amount of grant, covering up to 80% of the university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 20/21, up to the value of their non-publicly funded research activity. This will help to protect research jobs, capability and ground-breaking research.

Space Technology: Contracts

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent award of Copernicus contracts on the UK space sector.

Amanda Solloway: UK space sector organisations have won important new contracts from the European Space Agency for work related to five out of the six new Copernicus missions. The Government has made clear its ambitions for space and is developing a new UK Space Strategy to bring long-term strategic and commercial benefits to the nation.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Renewable Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines his Department's buildings (a) have in 2020 and (b) had in each of the last five years.

Nigel Adams: Energy suppliers providing services to departments through Crown Commercial Service (CCS) agreements are supportive of any decarbonisation strategy that is applied. It is for each department to determine their strategy for decarbonisation and CCS agreements allow the identification, analysis and installation of any decarbonisation solution required across the department's estate. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no solar panels or wind turbines on its UK Estate, nor has it had in the last 5 years.

China and Russia: Diplomatic Service

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) staff in his Department and (b) Diplomatic Service staff posted to (i) Russian and (ii) Chinese embassies or missions who can speak the language of the nation they are in to C1 CEFR proficiency or higher.

Nigel Adams: Language skills are critical to the FCO's operation. FCO officers undertake full-time language training in preparation for roles overseas which require them to speak the local language (known as speaker slots). The FCO's full-time language training programme is delivered in up to 85 languages and takes officers to C1 (operational) level in the required language. Their proficiency level is assessed by an externally validated exam at the end of their training programme.

Department for International Development: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with (a) NGOs, (b) aid recipients, (c) local actors and (d) other key stakeholders ahead of the decision made on 16 June to merge the Department for International Development with his Department.

James Duddridge: The Government continues to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations, on issues relating to the merger. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.

Overseas Aid: Poverty

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all Official Development Assistance is fully transparent and used for the primary purpose of tackling poverty.

James Duddridge: To tackle poverty and advance our Global Britain objectives, the Foreign Office takes evidence-based spending decisions. The FCO is committed to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard, and publishes on GOV.UK all the information on ODA that can be released whilst safeguarding FCO's obligations under UK national security, diplomatic relations and individual's personal information. Further details on how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office allocates Official Development Assistance funding can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-oda-allocations-aid-policy.

Overseas Aid: Poverty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will confirm that the new Secretary of State of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to provide any person or body with development assistance if he is satisfied that the provision of that assistance is likely to contribute to a reduction in poverty.

James Duddridge: We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction. As the Prime Minister has said, the work of UK aid to reduce poverty will remain central to the new department's mission.

Overseas Aid: Cost Effectiveness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to publish an independent evaluation of the extent to which aid provided by the UK represents value for money in relation to the purposes for which that aid is provided.

James Duddridge: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to Parliament for how it spends UK aid. We remain committed to full transparency in our aid spending and there will continue to be parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget. This merger is not about changing our high standards for overseas spending. We will continue to look at how our aid budget can be spent most effectively in our national interest, including through the Integrated Review - which will inform the priorities of the new department.

Department for International Development: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, International Development Committee and the National Audit Office will continue to play a role in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

James Duddridge: The National Audit Office, the UK's independent public spending watchdog, supports Parliament in holding Government to account and helping to improve public services through independent audits. The Comptroller and Auditor General certifies the accounts of all government departments and has statutory authority to examine whether departments have used their resources efficiently, effectively and with economy. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will be accountable to parliament for how it spends UK aid. The form this takes is a matter for Parliament. We remain committed to full transparency in our aid spending and there will continue to be parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget.

Overseas Aid: Departmental Coordination

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that international development policy is coherent across all Government Departments.

James Duddridge: The UK Government is committed to a coherent international development policy that advances our national interests and maximises our influence and impact on development and poverty. The new Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office will bring our world-class expertise to bear and ensure our development and foreign policy goals are fully integrated.

Department for International Development: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,what steps he is taking to support departmental staff affected by the proposed merging of his Department and the Department for International Development.

James Duddridge: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



Merging the departments will mean changes for how teams are structured, and some roles and responsibilities will change. This work will take place over the coming months, and we are engaging fully with staff throughout this process. The full details of the merger will be set out in due course.

India: Religious Freedom

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Government of India on its treatment of religious minorities.

Nigel Adams: We engage with India on the full range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments, and with non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. The Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised our concerns about the impact of recent legislative and judicial measures on minorities with Indian Government Ministers.The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India also regularly meet religious representatives and run projects promoting minority rights. For example, over the last three years, we have worked with local NGOs to bring together young people of diverse faith backgrounds to work together on social action projects in their local communities and promote a culture of inter faith tolerance.

Yemen: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to provide repatriation flights for UK citizens in Yemen.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suspended its operations in Yemen in 2015. Since then our ability to offer consular assistance to British nationals in Yemen has been extremely limited. Since March 2011, the FCO has consistently advised against all travel to all parts of Yemen, and advised British nationals to leave the country. However, where possible, the FCO remains committed to doing what it can for those British nationals who remain in Yemen.In light of the challenges following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent restrictions put in place by the authorities in Yemen, FCO officials have been in contact with 27 British nationals who have expressed a wish to return to the UK. Officials have worked with the UN and regional partners to arrange departures to neighbouring countries, from where onward flights to the UK have then been secured. To date, six British nationals have successfully left Yemen.

Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Government of Bahrain on the (a) imminent risk of execution of death row inmate Husain Abdullah Khalil Rashid and (b) reports of violations in relation to his human rights (i) in advance of and (ii) during his trial.

James Cleverly: We have raised the case of Hussein Abdullah Khalil Rashid at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.The Government of Bahrain is fully aware that the UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty, in all circumstances. The right to a fair trial is enshrined in the constitution of Bahrain; we continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to follow due process in all cases and meet its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Arms Trade: Human Rights

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential risks to human rights of sales of ammunition to countries with no existing military conflicts.

James Cleverly: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

USA: Aviation

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his US counterpart on the importance of ensuring that people can continue to fly to the US from UK airports.

Wendy Morton: We are working with the US Administration to highlight the concerns of UK citizens who are affected by the current travel restrictions implemented by the US. However, immigration policy is ultimately a matter for the US authorities.

Hong Kong: National Security

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will issue a response to Article 38 of China's new National Security Law's statement that the law applies to persons who do not have permanent resident status in Hong Kong and commit crimes under this law outside Hong Kong.

Nigel Adams: We are deeply concerned that China has imposed national security legislation on Hong Kong. As the Foreign Secretary said in Parliament on 1 July, the enactment of this legislation, imposed by the authorities in Beijing on the people of Hong Kong, constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Joint Declaration. The Foreign Secretary expressed concern about Article 38 of the legislation, noting that it is not entirely clear how the provision will be applied. He further noted that this is something that tourists and visitors from all around the world would be concerned about.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2020 to Question 51932, on Abortion: Northern Ireland, and with reference to the statement of 26 June 2020 from the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland that, Decisions remain to be taken on the commissioning of abortion services in NI’s health service. Commissioning is a significant process that will require a public consultation. It will clearly be matter for the Executive and Assembly as well as the Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of exercising his powers under section 26 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to direct the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to commission services to comply with section 9 of the Northern Ireland Executive Formation Act 2019.

Mr Robin Walker: I refer to my answer to Question 51932. The duty to implement the CEDAW recommendations under section 9 of the Northern Ireland Executive Formation Act is a matter of domestic, not international, law, and as such we have not yet considered making an assessment of exercising powers under section 26 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We hope that longer term services can be commissioned as soon as possible in Northern Ireland, consistent with the Regulations and we will continue to work with the relevant Northern Ireland departments to achieve this.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Disability

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to protect people with disabilities from covid-19.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



The Government is working to protect disabled people from Covid-19. This includes:- Providing guidance on social distancing and advice for people with specific conditions who are considered to be clinically vulnerable to Covid-19:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing- Advising people with specific health conditions, who are deemed to be extremely clinically vulnerable to Covid-19, to shield, and providing direct support to the shielded population. Support provided includes weekly boxes of basic supplies, priority for supermarket deliveries and help to meet basic care needs. - Providing guidance and advice for health and social care providers and professionals to mitigate risks of Covid-19:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/wuhan-novel-coronavirus#adult-social-care- Making available the NHS Volunteer Responders programme to help support people who are vulnerable but not shielding, including disabled people.

Housing: Construction

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many homes have been built under the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund in each year since 2018.

Helen Whately: The number of units started and completed under the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund in 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively are listed below:-2018-192019-20Units started563895Units completed448423

Coronavirus: Hong Kong

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of expert engineers in containing the covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong; if he will extend an invitation to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to join the expert team conducting the Government’s review of the two-metre social distancing rule; and what further steps he plans to take to ensure that evidence from highly skilled engineering sources is obtained and evaluated by the review team.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



The Government commissioned a review into the two metre social distancing rule and took advice from a range of experts, including the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Advisor, behavioural scientists and economists.Given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus, the Prime Minister announced that we can change the two-metre social distancing rule from 4 July to a “one-metre-plus” approach. This means members of the public can be one metre away from each other as long as other measures are put in place to limit the transmission of the virus. It remains better for managing the risk of transmission of the virus to stay two metres away from others outside your household wherever possible. Where it is possible to keep two metres apart people should continue to do so.The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries on a wide range of issues of issues relating to COVID-19. The Department will continue to learn from and work with other countries throughout the crisis and beyond.

Visual Impairment: Social Distancing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is an exception to the 2 metre social distancing rule to allow people with visual impairments to seek help from passers-by in crossing the road.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



The Government is committed to supporting blind and partially sighted people through every stage of the COVID-19 pandemic and are working across Government to ensure that all disabled people are able to get the support they need.The Government has published advice regarding social distancing for blind and/or partially sighted individuals who need to go out for a walk or to access essential goods. The regulations allow for a person from another household to guide them (under the ‘provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person’ provision). This guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-unpaid-care/guidance-for-those-who-provide-unpaid-care-to-friends-or-family

Coronavirus

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential for increases in post-viral complications, symptoms and ME as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



Public Health England has advised that they have made no assessment on the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the potential for increases in post-viral complications, symptoms and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Kidney Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle chronic kidney disease.

Helen Whately: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance ‘Chronic kidney (CKD) disease in adults: assessment and management’, updated in January 2015, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of CKD. The guidance covers monitoring for those patients at risk; pharmacological management and referral where appropriate. The guidance can be found at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg182 In addition to putting in place evidence-based guidance to support clinicians to diagnose problems of the kidney, we are also working to detect people at risk of kidney disease. The NHS Health Check programme, which launched in 2008, is a universal and systematic programme for everyone between the ages of 40-74 years (not already on a chronic disease register) that assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. The NHS Health Check can successfully engage people with the greatest health needs, actively reducing health inequalities, and individuals having a check are more likely to be diagnosed with a disease and to receive behavioural or clinical management to help them reduce that risk or manage the health condition. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/

Social Services: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to review the temporary Care Act easements, created under the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice his Department has taken from clinical and social care experts on discontinuing the Care Act easements, established under the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



Public safety throughout this period is the Government’s top priority, including for those who need care and support. The changes to the Care Act 2014 duties on local authorities will be kept under regular review and the Secretary of State will suspend them based on expert clinical and social care advice, including findings of the Chief Social Workers, in accordance with the Coronavirus Act 2020.At this time there are no local authorities operating with Care Act Easements.

Disability: Coronavirus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the  higher mortality rates from covid-19 reported by the Office for National Statistics among disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



We know that many people with long standing, limiting illnesses or health conditions are at higher risk of poorer outcomes from COVID-19.This provisional analysis suggests that this is the case for some disabled people. We are continuing to review all the available evidence and commissioning new research to better understand the specific impact of COVID-19 on disabled people. This will inform future policy development and what practical measures we can take to better protect disabled people.

Public Health: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of public health funding.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to implement an elimination strategy in respect of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Protective Clothing

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the health of hospital workers of the mandated wearing of face masks for extended periods; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the health of those workers is maintained while wearing those masks.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Health Services

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) research his Department has commissioned on and (b) what medical advice is available for people suffering post-covid-19 illnesses.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the status is of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions are dispensed daily on average in (a) the community and (b) hospitals in England.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many requests for a covid-19 test (a) in York, (b) in Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) nationally have been resubmitted for a second time as a result of the previous test not being (i) received at the household and (ii) collected at the correct time at the household.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vitamin D

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken an assessment of the scientific evidence in relation to the effect of lower levels of vitamin D on susceptibility to infection with covid-19.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Meat: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to investigate the reasons for the number of covid-19 outbreaks in abattoirs and other meat processing facilities.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nurses: Students

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement of 18 December 2019 that all nursing students on courses from September 2020 will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back, when (a) further details on that funding will be published and (b) the application process will open.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he plans to lay before Parliament the Liverpool Community Health independent investigation terms of reference.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) start date is and (b) panel members are for the independent investigation into Liverpool Community Health.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 37887, on Coronavirus, tabled on 20 April 2020 by the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow .

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Questions (a) 41067, (b) 41068, (c) 41069 and (d) 41074, on Coronavirus, tabled on 28 April 2020 by the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Consultation Papers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timescale is for publishing the green paper on social care.

Helen Whately: The Government’s number one priority for adult social care is for everyone who relies on care to get the care they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to ensure this happens as we cautiously ease lockdown restrictions and are determined to protect all carers and people receiving care from the still present risk of infection.We know that this does not reduce the need for a long-term action plan for social care. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a society.We have invited cross-party talks and Government will bring forward a plan for social care for the longer term.

Schools: Coronavirus

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on trends in the level of acute respiratory outbreaks in schools among (a) Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils and (b) pupils with other protected characteristics; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Businesses: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the legal basis is for implementing a local covid-19 lockdown; and what the consequences are for businesses if they do not comply with those lockdown restrictions.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Birmingham

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will urgently publish Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 data for daily confirmed covid-19 cases in Birmingham.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Redbridge

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many confirmed covid-19 cases were recorded under (a) pillar 1 and (b) pillar 2 testing for the London Borough of Redbridge on each day since records began.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carers: Quarantine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on exempting carers of people with disabilities who are (a) directly employed as a personal assistant and (b) employed through a care agency registered with the Care Quality Commission from the 14-day quarantine period upon arrival in the UK.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health and Social Services: Quarantine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what equality impact assessment he has made of the disparity in rules for quarantine upon arrival in the UK for (a) carers of people with disabilities who are either directly employed as a personal assistant or employed through a care agency registered with the Care Quality Commission and (b) health and care workers with proof of professional registration with a UK-based regulator.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carers: Quarantine

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether care workers who are carrying out essential work for disabled people, either working directly as a personal assistant or being introduced through a CQC-registered care agency, are exempt from quarantine when entering the UK.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish pillar 2 covid-19 testing data by postcode.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Clinical Trials

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons the Government has learnt from the ability to rapidly approve covid-19 clinical trials; and how the Government plans to implement that learning to expedite the approval process for all clinical trials.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) total number and (b) the rolling average number of positive (i) pillar 1 and (ii) pillar 2 covid-19 tests has been in the (A) LS1, (B) LS2, (C) LS6, (D) LS7, (E) LS9, (F) LS10 and (G) LS11 postcodes in each of the last eight weeks.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what dates the Government has made announcements in the names of the Chief Dental Officer and the General Dental Council on the operation of dental practices since the start of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will publish the guidance accompanying each of those announcements.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Suicide

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many in-patient suicides were recorded at mental health hospitals in each year from 2015 to 2019 inclusive.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many confirmed covid-19 cases have been recorded under (a) pillar 1 and (b) pillar 2 testing for the city of Birmingham metropolitan borough.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to routinely publish regional data on pillar 2 testing for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Wirral

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many confirmed covid-19 cases have been recorded under (a) pillar 1 and (b) pillar 2 testing for the borough of Wirral on each day since records began.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Newcastle upon Tyne

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many confirmed covid-19 cases were recorded under (a) Pillar 1 and (b) Pillar 2 testing strands in the Newcastle City Council area on each day since records began.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who are (a) clinically vulnerable, (b) clinically extremely vulnerable and (c) over-70 receive clear and targeted messages during the covid-19 outbreak to ensure that they (i) know which group they fall into and (ii) are well-informed about the Government guidance on shielding and social distancing for that group.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on home visiting community phlebotomy for children with serious health conditions which require them to be shielding during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Remdesivir

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of Remdesivir to NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Medical Treatments

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times he has met with representatives Vertex Pharmaceuticals to discuss (a) cystic fibrosis treatment and (b) other treatments in the last 12 months.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Rehabilitation

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to consult on guidance for commissioning community rehabilitation services in England.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Coronavirus

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote musculoskeletal health during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Employment

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a response to the consultation, Health is Everyone’s Business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss, which closed on 7 October 2019.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pain: Health Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to the online version of the Escape-pain programme.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a threshold for regional covid-19 cases to trigger the implementation of a local lockdown.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff are working four hour shifts at any time under the Serco track and trace contract.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff are employed under the Serco test and trace contract.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many calls on average tracers are making during a four hour shift under the Serco track and trace contract.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent letters on shielding being sent in error to people who are recently deceased; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the database being used for such correspondence is up to date.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deloitte: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2020 to Question 48980 on Deloitte: Coronavirus, which Government or arms length body Deloitte is required to report positive covid-19 positive cases to.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Services: Coronavirus

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has for the safe re-starting of (a) respite care, (b) day centre and (c) other social care services that were stopped as a result of social distancing restrictions; what steps the Government has taken to communicate those plans to users of those social care services; and what guidance the Government is issuing to local authorities on the safe re-starting of those services.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that dental practices are able to re-open for routine appointments as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures dentists are prohibited from carrying out under existing covid-19 guidance; and when those procedures will be permitted to be resumed.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to covid-19 being a notifiable disease, what the limitations are on data sharing with local authorities of the personal information of people who test positive for covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Equality: Gender

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the number of programmes with gender equality as an (a) principle and (b) objective that will have their funding reduced or terminated in response to the reduced Official Development Assistance budget in financial year 2020-21; and if she will publish that assessment.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on development, which is enshrined in law. This means the aid budget increases when the UK economy grows and decreases if the economy shrinks. Given the expected fall in Gross National Income this year, aid spending is under review across all departments. No decision has been taken. We are considering the full range of our work.Whatever the final outcome of the 2020/21 financing discussions, advancing gender equality and women’s rights will remain a priority for this government.

Human Rights: Females

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department's technical expertise on upholding women and girls' rights in development and humanitarian settings is retained by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Wendy Morton: Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this government’s mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. DFID and FCO already work closely together on gender equality and we will continue to draw on the skills and expertise of all colleagues in the new department to champion gender equality in international development and humanitarian crises. This is the only way we will achieve a fairer, safer and more prosperous world, and achieve the Sustainable Development GoalsThe Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year, which will define the Government’s ambition for the UK’s role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the new Department. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world, including on gender equality and women’s rights.

Equality: Gender

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on maintaining the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality as a policy and guiding principle of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Wendy Morton: The Secretary of State for International Development and Foreign Secretary meet regularly to discuss the vision for the new Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office.Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this government’s mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.There is a high level of support for the Strategic Vision and DFID, FCO and other HMG teams already work closely together to realise the ambitions of the Strategic Vision. As part of the merger discussions, we will review, refresh and build on all existing strategies, as well as developing new approaches where appropriate. We do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality changing. The challenges for the advancement of girls’ education, sexual reproductive health and rights, women’s political empowerment, women’s meaningful participation in peace processes, women’s economic empowerment, and ending violence against women and girls, including conflict-related sexual violence, are as acute now, if not more so, as when we published the strategy in 2018.

Yemen: World Food Programme

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support the World Food Programme distribute overseas aid to Yemen.

James Cleverly: The UK provided £65 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) last financial year (2019/20), to help support the delivery of life-saving food assistance in Yemen. This funding provided 3 million cash transfers and vouchers to vulnerable Yemenis to enable them to buy food and household essentials. In addition to our food security support, we also provided funding to WFP’s logistics operation, which helped to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Yemen.We are continuing to support WFP in the delivery of emergency aid this financial year (2020/21) through our new £160 million funding commitment to Yemen. This includes funding for WFP, through which we expect to provide support to at least 300,000 vulnerable people each month, to help them buy food and household essentials.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support departmental staff affected by the proposed merging of her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Nigel Adams: We are prioritising staff wellbeing and support during the formation of the new department. We have a well-developed offer to help staff manage their wellbeing and resilience during change. This includes learning and development, mental health support, and a dedicated welfare team. Our Trade Unions, local staff associations and employee support networks are also working hard to ensure our colleagues get the support they need.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions her Department has had with international organisations on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

James Cleverly: During my ‘virtual visit’ to Yemen on 18 June, I met with members of international organisations, including UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande, to discuss the deteriorating COVID-19 situation and impacts of UN funding shortages in Yemen.We actively participate in Humanitarian Country Team meetings and interact with senior officials from international organisations working in Yemen every week. In addition, my officials are in regular dialogue with UN agencies and NGOs who are delivering our programmes in Yemen to understand the challenges that they are facing on the ground.

Developing Countries: Death

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on ending the preventable deaths of (a) mothers, (b) new-born babies and (c) children by 2030.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to ending the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030. Between April 2018 and March 2019 alone, DFID reached at least 23.5 million total women and girls with modern methods of family planning, saving 8,300 women’s lives and preventing the trauma of 89,900 stillbirths and 52,900 new-born deaths.This is more important than ever given the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to ensure essential health services continue despite the challenges. Our approach covers sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal and new-born health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene services, all of which can help prevent mothers, new-borns and children dying unnecessarily.A core focus of our ending preventable deaths work is to partner with governments and international health actors to strengthen health systems in the poorest countries. We are also leading internationally: the UK hosted the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June and raised $8.8 billion for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance’s, next five years (2021-2025) of work, which includes the UK’s pledge of £1.65 billion. Using these vital funds, GAVI will immunise a further 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives against vaccine preventable diseases.

Developing Countries: Death

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintains progress on ending the preventable deaths of (a) mothers, (b) new-born babies and (c) children by 2030.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to ending the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030. By aligning our efforts, the merger will maximise UK influence and expertise so that we are in the best position to deliver this commitment.The Prime Minister, in his statement to the House of Commons, highlighted that the UK will need to work in partnership to help vulnerable countries to improve their health systems. This is essential to ending preventable deaths, as are the UK government’s recent reassurances that we remain committed to preventing and treating malnutrition, as well as advancing and defending comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Overseas Aid: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance has been (a) allocated and (b) distributed to tackle the covid-19 pandemic.

Wendy Morton: The UK is at the forefront of the global response and has publicly committed up to £764 million of UK aid in addition to flexing existing programmes to respond to COVID-19. Following agreements and disbursement schedules DFID has disbursed £314 million to date.

Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate of UK gross national income she is using to calculate the 2020 Official Development Assistance budget.

Wendy Morton: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), not DFID, is responsible for producing forecasts of the economy and public finances. The OBR’s latest official forecast of Gross National Income (GNI) was published on 11 March 2020 and so did not reflect the impact of COVID-19. However, we know that COVID-19 will impact the UK economy. Since our commitment to spend 0.7% of our GNI as Official Development Assistance is tied to the size of our economy, the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year. As with every year, we continue to work closely with HM Treasury to monitor official economic estimates and forecasts in our management of the 0.7% commitment.

Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to publish her Department's programme plans from the start of the 2020-21 financial year.

Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts will be published in July and will set out baseline programme budgets for 2020/21 spend by DFID spending unit.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes in internal funding allocations she has made since the Main Estimates.

Wendy Morton: Since the Main Estimates were published in May this year, HMG has had to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impact on the UK economy. All government departments are considering how their plans need to change in light of this risk.

Overseas Aid: Coronavirus

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) status and (b) provisional outcome is of her Department's gold, silver and bronze grading of projects in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Wendy Morton: All government departments are considering how their plans need to change in light of the risk of a recession linked to the impact of COVID-19. DFID is working with the FCO and other ODA spending departments to assess how to manage the 0.7% commitment this year. No decision has been taken, but we are considering the full range of our work.

Overseas Aid: Coronavirus

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the budget reprofiling and repurposing for 2020-21 of each regional programme in each country office in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts will be published in July and will set out baseline programme budgets for 2020/21 spend by DFID spending unit. DFID has a good record on transparency and meeting our reporting and publication requirements. We fully intend to maintain these standards.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the budget reprofiling and repurposing for 2020-21 of each regional programme in each country office as a result of the forecast fall in gross national income.

Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts is due to be published on 14 July and will set out baseline programme budgets for 2020/21 spend by DFID spending unit.DFID has a good record on transparency and meeting our reporting and publication requirements. We fully intend to maintain these standards.

Tree Planting

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many native trees her Department has supported the planting of in each of the last three years as part of climate mitigation efforts; how much her Department has spent on supporting native tree planting in each of those years; how much carbon her Department estimates has been sequestered as a result of those programmes in that time period; and if she will make a statement.

James Duddridge: Improving the management of forests is a priority for DFID’s work to tackle climate change and protect the environment and biodiversity. DFID supports a range of interventions, including working with governments, businesses and community groups to strengthen governance of the forest sector and address the illegal timber trade, as well as public-private partnerships that promote sustainable investment in agriculture, by integrating measures to protect and restore forests.This support does not directly target the replanting of native trees, and so data is not collected on the number of trees planted. Improved management and protection however creates the conditions needed for regeneration of native trees to take place naturally. For example, through DFID support, 18.7 million hectares of forest in Indonesia are protected under a national scheme backed by an international timber trade agreement, and this agreement includes protections that create the conditions under which natural regeneration can take place.DFID’s has invested £57.2 million (2017-18), £53.1 million (2018-19) and £50.8 million (2019-20) in bilateral forest programmes over the past three years.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s 2020-21 programme plans were at the start of that financial year; and what changes in internal funding allocations have been made since the Main Estimates.

Wendy Morton: Since the Main Estimates were published in May this year, HMG has had to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risks to the UK economy. All government departments are considering how their plans need to change in light of COVID-19.

Overseas Aid: Fossil Fuels

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure that Official Development Assistance is not spent on fossil fuel projects.

James Duddridge: Countries need reliable and sustainable supplies of energy if they are to tackle poverty effectively by growing their economies, creating jobs, and delivering essential services. UK aid is focused on helping them achieve this, and our support for energy is increasingly invested in renewables. Since 2011, the UK has provided 26 million people with improved access to clean energy and installed 1,600 MW of clean energy capacity, avoiding 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.In 2019, in the Green Finance Strategy, the Government committed to aligning the UK’s Official Development Assistance with the goals of the Paris international climate change agreement, including our support for energy.The Government has also announced that the UK will double our international climate finance to £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26. A significant proportion of this funding will be invested in clean energy, including up to £1 billion in developing and testing new technology in areas such as energy storage, innovations in renewable energy, cooling, low carbon and electric transport and technologies for industrial decarbonisation. This funding for innovation is targeted at driving forward the clean energy transition in developing countries, by creating and demonstrating new technologies and business models to deploy them.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government's £300 million funding pledge to the Syrian humanitarian relief fund at the Brussels Conference on 30 June 2020 is inclusive of or separate from current projected Official Development Assistance spending in (a) Syria, (b) Lebanon, (c) Jordan and (d) Turkey.

James Cleverly: At the Brussels Conference, the Secretary of State pledged to provide at least £300 million of humanitarian and development assistance. This is the currently-approved UK ODA expenditure for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for 2020. This figure is made up of DFID country budgets, total operating costs, and ODA-eligible budgets from other Government departments towards these four countries.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Nutrition

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Foreign Secretary on the maintenance of existing levels of support for nutrition programmes after the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Wendy Morton: The UK remains committed to preventing and treating malnutrition as part of our commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children. Addressing poor nutrition is also critical in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.Decisions on how UK aid is spent will be for the new department to make, informed by the outcomes of the Integrated Review, expected to conclude later in the year. The Review will define our ambition for the UK’s role in the world, including delivery of the manifesto commitments.

Nutrition: Finance

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason the funding allocated to nutrition-specific investments in 2018 was 20 per cent lower than in 2017.

Wendy Morton: The reduction in nutrition-specific spend between 2017 and 2018 is the result of several standalone nutrition programmes coming to an end, with nutrition activities integrated into broader health investments.Donor investments in nutrition-specific activities are currently tracked through the OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System using a single code: ‘basic nutrition’. Only programmes that are solely focused on nutrition appear in the Creditor Reporting System under the basic nutrition code. Over the past few years, we have actively promoted integration of nutrition services into health investments. However, this has meant that spend on nutrition-specific activities is reported against other health codes rather than basic nutrition.Independent analysis of donor nutrition financing noted that – relative to other donors – DFID disburses a greater proportion of nutrition-specific aid through health codes other than basic nutrition. This was ascribed to us having a greater emphasis on addressing nutrition through integrated health programmes.We remain committed to supporting the scale up of high-impact nutrition-specific services – including through our investments in the Power of Nutrition and through a new partnership with UNICEF.We will also be applying the new OECD DAC policy marker for nutrition from 2020 onwards. This should help strengthen monitoring of the UK’s investments to prevent and treat malnutrition.

Children: Nutrition

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on progress in tackling child (a) wasting and (b) stunting.

Wendy Morton: We are deeply concerned about the indirect impacts COVID-19 could have on people’s nutrition, the implications for loss of life and for long term deficits to children’s growth and development. Early estimates suggested that every percentage point drop in global GDP could result in an additional 0.7 million stunted children.Since the early stages of the pandemic, we have been closely engaged in detailed modelling being carried out by academic and operational partners. This modelling assesses the likely increases in child wasting and stunting as a result of disruptions to health and nutrition services and to people’s ability to access nutritious foods. These estimates are due to be published in the Lancet journal shortly and will represent an evidence-based and collective view from global experts of the impact the pandemic will have on nutrition.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government plans to take to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under five through investments in global nutrition.

Wendy Morton: The UK remains committed to preventing and treating malnutrition as part of our pledge to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children. Continued investment to protect the nutrition of the poorest people in the world is even more important as countries face worsening levels of malnutrition in the face of COVID-19. We will continue to support programmes to address malnutrition beyond 2020 and will work with the Government of Japan to ensure the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit is a success.

Department for Education

Students: Grants and Loans

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have applied to Student Finance England for (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance grants for the 2020/21 academic year.

Michelle Donelan: Student Finance England processes applications for student financial support for English domiciled students studying in the UK and EU-domiciled students studying in England. Eligible full-time and part-time undergraduate students can apply for up-front tuition fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition. Eligible students attending full-time courses and part-time degree and equivalent level courses can also apply for partially means-tested loans towards their living costs. Maintenance grants are only available in 2020/21 for small numbers of continuing full-time students who started their courses before 2016/17.Applications for student support for full-time students opened in mid-February, and for part-time students in mid-June. As of 18 June 2020, Student Loan Company had processed 742,000 applications to Student Finance England for undergraduate tuition fee loans, 716,000 for maintenance loans, and 800 for maintenance grants for the 2020/21 academic year.Students can apply for student finance up to nine months after the commencement of their course each academic year. This means that application numbers are likely to continue to rise as we approach the start of the 2020/21 academic year and for a period beyond that.

Free School Meals: Immigrants

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children of families who are subject to the no recourse to public funds condition have received free school meals in each month since May 2020.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of permanently extending eligibility for free school meals to pupils with no recourse to public funds.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of ending the temporary extension of free school meals eligibility on child (a) hunger and (b) malnutrition.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on permanently extending free school meals eligibility to children from families with no recourse to public funds.

Vicky Ford: During the COVID-19 outbreak we are temporarily extending free school meals eligibility to include some groups who have no recourse to public funds. We do not currently hold estimates for the cost of permanently extending eligibility on this basis.The Department does not currently collect data regarding the take up of free school meals from children of families who are subject to a no recourse to public funds condition.The Department has engaged in discussion with Home Office colleagues throughout the policy-making process.

Children: Day Care

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support people who do not have a support network to access childcare as they return to work as covid-19 restrictions are eased.

Vicky Ford: From 1 June, early years settings have been able to welcome back all children.Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient childcare places and we continue to liaise with local authorities to obtain information about the supply and demand for childcare. Anyone who needs help or advice in accessing registered childcare should contact their local authorities.Guidance for parents and carers about opening from 1 June can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Children: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the provision of CAMHS during summer holidays 2020; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of access to those services by children who need CAMHS support.

Vicky Ford: Such discussions have not taken place between my right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. However, I meet regularly with my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention to discuss mental health and wellbeing support and resources available to children and young people.Access to mental health support is more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak, especially for thousands of children, young people and teachers who are adapting to education and different ways of living and learning in these unprecedented times. NHS mental health services have remained open during the COVID-19 outbreak and will continue to be open over the summer holidays. Community health services, talking therapies and children and young people’s services have deployed digital tools to connect with people and provide ongoing support.The government has also recently provided over £9 million to leading mental health charities to help them expand and reach those most in need. NHS Mental Health Trusts have been asked to provide 24/7 open access telephone lines to support people of all ages. New online resources are also being developed to help schools and colleges respond to the impact of coronavirus on mental health and wellbeing.We continue to work across government on further support, and on long term improvements to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, including introducing new Mental Health Support Teams to work in and near schools.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that parents that are eligible for free school meal vouchers over summer 2020 will be able to obtain those vouchers.

Vicky Ford: Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund that will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak.Guidance has been published for schools on the Covid Summer Food Fund, including details of how to ensure all pupils eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals receive a voucher before schools break up for the summer holidays. It sets out how schools should arrange for them to be sent to parents or carers.The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-summer-food-fund.

Special Educational Needs: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support he is providing schools for children with SEND to ensure that they remain safe in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Vicky Ford: We have worked closely with Public Health England to agree and publish clear guidance to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to remain as safe as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak, whilst continuing to support them with their education, either in school or at home, through alternative arrangements.The main guidance, ‘Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening’, updated on 18 June, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-send-risk-assessment-guidance.The wider guidance, ‘Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)’, updated on 16 June 2020, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe.

Covid-19 Education Catch-up Fund: Special Educational Needs

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the £650 million catch-up fund he plans to allocate to special schools.

Vicky Ford: The government has announced a package of support worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all children and young people make up for lost teaching time, with extra support in the form of a tutoring programme for those who need it most.This package includes a universal catch up premium for schools of £650 million to help them make up for lost teaching time. This premium will be paid as a grant to all state-funded primary and secondary schools in England over the 2020-21 academic year.We will confirm the timetable for publishing institution-level allocations in due course.

Social Mobility Commission

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Social Mobility Commission’s proposal to set up a dedicated government unit to co-ordinate action and ensure the recommendations of the commission are delivered.

Vicky Ford: We welcome the Social Mobility Commission’s annual report, which recognises progress in areas such as improving life chances for people, boosting mental health support for young people, and keeping disadvantaged pupils in education for longer.On the specific recommendation of establishing a social mobility unit, we do not believe creating another government body is the solution – as it risks adding bureaucracy and distracting from addressing the issues at hand.Government’s policy to level up opportunity across the country is already championed across Whitehall and most government departments have a part to play. The new Equality Hub in the Cabinet Office, comprising the Government Equalities Office, the Race Disparity Unit and the Disability Unit, will be broadening their work to look more widely at barriers to opportunity and working across government to support delivery on this agenda.

Basic Skills and Mathematics: Education

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating funding to  (a) maths and (b) skills teaching for the provision of education to young people for whom a lack of a qualification in those subjects presents a barrier to social mobility.

Gillian Keegan: We recognise the importance of achieving a Level 2 qualification in maths to improving social mobility. We have taken a range of actions to ensure young people secure the maths skills they need for employment, further education, and everyday life.We require students who leave key stage 4 without a GCSE grade 4 or above in maths and English to continue to study the subject and be given the opportunity to achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above during their 16 to 19 study programme. However, we recognise that for students with prior attainment of a GCSE grade 2 or below, a Functional Skills Level 2 may be more appropriate. We have recently reformed Functional Skills qualifications to improve their rigour and relevance to employers.For both T-Levels and apprenticeships, we fund providers to support learners to achieve up to an approved level 2 qualification in maths and English qualification where they do not already hold a suitable equivalent qualification.We are providing an additional £35 million to 16 to 19 providers to support students on Level 3 courses who do not yet have a GCSE maths and English grade 9 to 4 or equivalent, so they can re-sit their exams in these critical subjects.Since 2018, we have been investing in a network of post-16 schools and colleges to be Centres for Excellence in Maths to improve the quality of maths teaching in post-16 institutions. There are 21 centres across the country – with at least one in every region of England – which are designing new and improved teaching resources, building teachers’ skills, and spreading best practice across the country through their wider networks with the aim of improving the outcomes of the lowest attaining maths students.

Secondary Education: Coronavirus

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if guidance for the September 2020 reopening of secondary schools will be available to (a) local authorities and (b) other school providers by the end of this school term.

Nick Gibb: We want to get all children and young people back into education as soon as the scientific advice allows because it is the best place for them to learn, and because we know how important it is for their wellbeing to have social interactions with their teachers and friends. As such we have announced that all children will return to school from September.The guidance on the full opening of schools can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Overseas Students

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking abroad to demonstrate that Britain is open and welcoming to international students.

Michelle Donelan: The government has been clear that our world-leading universities, which thrive on being global institutions, will always be open to international students. Engaging closely with other government departments and the higher education sector, the department is working to reassure prospective international students that the UK higher education is ‘open for business’, remains world-class and is a safe and tolerant place to study. This includes continued work with Study UK (the government’s international student recruitment campaign led by the British Council), support for the sector-led #WeAreTogether campaign and a package of bespoke communications that will directly target prospective international students, making clear our world-leading UK offer.Furthermore, on 22 June, with my counterparts in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, I wrote to prospective international students to outline the support and guidance that is available to international students who are considering studying in the UK from the autumn: https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/letter_to_prospective_international_students.pdf. This letter reiterates a number of flexibilities that the government has already announced for international students including, amongst other mitigations, confirmation that distance/blended learning will be permitted for the 2020/21 academic year, provided that international students’ sponsors intend to transition to face-to-face learning as soon as circumstances allow, and steps to further promote the new graduate route.The government is committed to continuing to improve our offer to international students, which is why we have announced the new graduate route, which will be introduced in summer 2021. The graduate route will be simple and light-touch and it will permit graduates at undergraduate and masters level to remain in the UK for 2 years and PhD graduates to remain in the UK for 3 years after they have finished their studies in order to work or to look for work at any skill level. This represents a significant improvement in our offer to international students and will help ensure the UK higher education sector remains competitive internationally.The government is also in discussions with Universities UK and other sector representatives on a regular basis to ensure that we are united in welcoming international students to the UK. In particular, we expect international students - especially those who will be subject to the 14-day self-isolation period - to be appropriately supported upon arrival by their chosen university during these unprecedented times.In addition, on Friday 5 June, the government announced Sir Steve Smith as the UK’s new International Education Champion. Sir Steve will assist with opening up export growth opportunities for the whole UK education sector, which will include attracting international students to UK Universities. Alongside Sir Steve’s appointment, our review of the International Education Strategy this autumn will respond to the new context and the challenges that are posed by COVID-19 across all education settings to ensure we can continue to welcome international students in the future.

Schools: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department will commence the delivery of laptops and other school equipment to Enfield Council, as part of the Government's programme to provide technology support for children and schools during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed over £100 million to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education and social care services, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers. We are providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers. The Department has ordered over 200,000 laptops and tablets and allocated devices to local authorities and academy trusts based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices. All local authorities and academy trusts have been invited to place their orders. Laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers will arrive within five days of an order being placed. The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers we have delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts in total which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data. This includes 723 laptops and 149 4G wireless routers dispatched to Enfield Council on 18 June.

Education: Coronavirus

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will create a standardised home learning framework to help maintain educational standards throughout England during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: Getting more children back in school is vital for their education and their wellbeing – particularly for the most disadvantaged children. Time out of school leads to lost education now but will also affect children’s ability to learn in future.We believe the very best place for children to be from the Autumn is back in schools. For the vast majority of children, the benefits of being back in the classroom far outweigh the very low risk from COVID-19 and schools can take action to reduce that risk even further. On Thursday 2 July we published guidance for schools reopening to all pupils. This sets out key principles for curriculum planning so that all pupils – particularly disadvantaged, special educational needs and disability (SEND) and vulnerable pupils – are given the catch-up support needed to make substantial progress by the end of the academic year. This includes a section on remote education and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.Whilst children are unable to attend school, we are committed to ensuring that all children can continue to learn remotely in a number of ways, and as such are supporting sector-led initiatives such as the Oak National Academy. This new enterprise has been created by 40 teachers from schools across England. It will provide 180 video lessons for free each week, across a broad range of subjects, for every year group from Reception through to year 10. By 28 June, 4.1 million unique users had accessed the Oak National Academy website and 14.7 million lessons had been viewed. Further remote education support can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-practice-for-schools-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

Pre-school Education: Pupil Premium

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on the early years pupil premium in each of the last five years.

Vicky Ford: Funding for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is allocated through the early years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant. The funding allocation for the EYPP in each of the last five years is below.Funding allocation for the EYPP2015-2016£49.92 million2016-2017£31.26 million2017-2018£29.28 million2018-2019£28.96 million2019-2020£29.59 million These figures represent allocation rather than expenditure. The higher initial allocation figure in 2015-16 reflects uncertainty over the take-up of what was a novel policy. The Dedicated Schools Grant Allocation Tables can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020.

Children's Centres: Closures

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Sure Start centres and (b) other children’s centres have closed in each of the last six months.

Vicky Ford: Since 18 September 2017, data on Sure Start children’s centres and children’s centre linked sites has been supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools (GIAS) database portal at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/ [1].Based on the information supplied by local authorities [2], no Sure Start children’s centres have closed in the last six months. [1] The GIAS collects data on children’s centres that local authorities have closed on a permanent basis. It does not collect data on children’s centres that local authorities may have closed temporarily in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.[2] The number of children’s centres is based on information supplied by local authorities as at 1 July 2020. This figure could change in future since local authorities may update their data at any time.

Special Educational Needs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether statutory duties relating to Education, Health and Care plans will be restored in full before all children are permitted to return to school in September 2020.

Vicky Ford: Since May, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, it has been necessary to modify the duty on local authorities and health commissioners so that they could use their ‘reasonable endeavours’ to secure or arrange the specified special educational and health care provision in education health and care (EHC) plans. It is our plan that all children and young people, in all year groups and setting types, will return to education settings full time from the beginning of the autumn term. We are committed to removing these flexibilities as soon as possible so children and young people can receive the support they need to return to school. As such, unless the evidence changes, we will not be issuing further national notices to modify the EHC duties. We will, however, consider whether any such flexibilities may be required locally to respond to outbreaks. We will also continue to monitor the need for the temporary changes to the law on EHC needs assessments and plans that give local authorities and others who contribute to the relevant processes more flexibility in responding to the demands placed on them by COVID-19. These changes are currently in force until 25 September. We remain committed to listening to and working with local authorities, parent carer representatives and specialist special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) organisations, to ensure that the lifting of the temporary changes is managed in a way that supports the needs of children and young people with SEND.

Education: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's press release entitled, Billion pound Covid catch-up plan to tackle impact of lost teaching time, published on 19 June, whether his Department will publish guidance for schools on how they should allocate their portion of that funding package.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's press release entitled, Billion pound Covid catch-up plan to tackle impact of lost teaching time, published on 19 June, what steps he will take to ensure that money spent from that package goes to children who have had the least access to face-to-face teaching time during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: Every pupil in the country has experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of COVID-19. The £1 billion catch-up fund is intended to support schools in helping pupils make up for time spent out of the classroom. Through this fund, in the next academic year, all state-funded primary and secondary schools in England will receive a share of the £650 million catch-up premium.School leaders have discretion to use this additional funding to meet the identified needs of their pupils and to help them fill gaps in curriculum knowledge resulting from extended school closures. On 19 June, the Education Endowment Foundation published a guide to help school leaders and staff decide how to use this funding to best support their pupils and their outcomes.In addition, the £350 million National Tutoring Programme will provide extra support for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, who will be amongst the hardest hit by the disruption to education.

Free School Meals: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to communicate to schools that the maximum earnings threshold for free school meal eligibility for children with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is £16,190 rather than the £7,400 that was incorrectly stated on the guidance for Coronavirus (COVID-19): temporary extension of free school meals eligibility to NRPF groups from 25 June to 30 June 2020.

Vicky Ford: During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds.The guidance has been updated and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

Children: Day Care

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish updated guidance on enabling regulated childcare settings which operate outside school hours to reopen for (a) children of key workers and (b) all children.

Vicky Ford: The department has published guidance for providers who run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children over the age of 5. It sets out the safety measures that must be in place to ensure they can operate over the summer holiday. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.This follows confirmation from my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, that from Saturday 4 July, these providers can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place.While schools are open in a provider’s local area, providers of these settings should follow the same protective measures as schools to limit different groups of children mixing. This means that if a setting opens before the end of the 2020 summer term, they should ensure they are:only caring for children from the eligible groups (children in early years, Reception, year 1 and year 6) and priority groups (children of critical workers and vulnerable children);only caring for children from one school or early years provider; andworking closely with the school or early years providers that their children attend, to ensure that, as far as possible, children are kept in the same small consistent groups that they are in throughout the day, and otherwise maintain social distance.When state schools in a local area have closed for the summer term, out-of-school settings must operate in line with the published guidance and children of all ages and mixed schools may attend out-of-school settings in that area.

Schools: Birmingham

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has allocated to Birmingham City Council for the refurbishment of schools for the 2020-21 calendar year; and whether that funding has been ringfenced.

Nick Gibb: In the financial year 2020-21, Birmingham City Council has been awarded £9,505,036 in capital funding to maintain and improve the condition of the schools for which it is responsible. Local authorities have the flexibility to prioritise capital projects to meet local needs. The responsible bodies for voluntary aided schools and academies are awarded separate capital funding.In addition, individual schools are allocated Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) to invest in capital projects to meet their own priorities. Allocations are published on GOV.UK.The government has also committed to providing £560 million of additional condition funding for the school system this year to support essential maintenance projects. This comes on top of over £1.4 billion capital funding already provided for school maintenance in the financial year 2020-21. We will set out details of how the additional capital funding will be allocated shortly.

Grammar Schools: Coronavirus

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to delay the Secondary Transfer Test for Grammar school admissions in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: Arrangements for selecting pupils by ability are for selective schools admission authorities to decide. We are aware admission authorities are considering what changes they will need to make to their arrangements in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department has discussed this issue with the sector and guidance will be published in due course.

Further Education: Capital Investment

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020,  HCWS319, on Capital Update, whether capital funding for further education can be used for information technology upgrades on college campuses.

Gillian Keegan: In March this year, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor, announced that we are going to transform further education colleges across the country, investing £1.5 billion of new capital over the next five years, starting in 2021. On 29 June, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced that the Department for Education will bring forward £200 million of this capital funding this year to further education colleges in England. This will enable colleges to undertake immediate remedial work in this financial year to upgrade the condition of their estates and infrastructure. We will announce further details about how this funding will be allocated in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £1 billion school rebuilding programme he plans to spend on (a) special schools and (b) SEND provision in mainstream schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government has announced plans for a transformative, ten year school rebuilding programme. This will replace poor condition and ageing school buildings with modern, energy efficient designs, transforming education for thousands of pupils.We have committed over £1 billion to fund the first 50 projects of the ten year programme. These projects will be confirmed in the autumn, and construction on the first sites is expected to begin in autumn 2021. Further details of the new, ten year rebuilding programme, including additional funding, will be set out following the Spending Review.We are also providing £560 million of additional condition funding for the school system this year to support essential maintenance projects. This comes on top of over £1.4 billion capital funding already provided for school maintenance in the financial year 2020-21. We will set out details of how the additional capital funding will be allocated shortly.The Government is committed to delivering more school places for children with complex special educational needs, as set out in our manifesto. We have invested £365 million across 2018-19 to 2020-21 to create new places and improve facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Funding for future years will be determined as part of the Spending Review.

Children: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2020 to Question 46754 on Children: Coronavirus, how many local authorities have used the flexible provisions on statutory duties for children’s social care under the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 since 18 May 2020.

Vicky Ford: The department is engaging with a range of stakeholders, including monthly calls with local authorities, to seek information on how the Adoption and Children (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 are being used. This process will inform my statement to Parliament on the Regulations before summer recess. The Regulations should only be used when absolutely necessary, and ongoing analysis indicates that they are being used infrequently.

Free School Meals: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40618 on Free School Meals: Coronavirus, what recent discussions he has had with Edenred on establishing a freephone helpline.

Vicky Ford: An Edenred phone number (0333 400 5932) has been set up specifically for the national voucher scheme for free school meals. Calling this number costs no more than the national rate and therefore is included within mobile phone contract ‘inclusive minutes’ and charged at the national rate thereafter. We are working with mobile phone operators to ensure that the Edenred website is exempt from data charges.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June to Question 54053 on Home Detention Curfew Breaches; how many of the offenders who were recalled for breaching their curfew were returned to prison for the remainder of their original sentence.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2020 to Question 54053, how many offenders were on home detention curfew in each month of 2019; and how many and what proportion of people were reported for breaching their curfew in each month of that time period.

Lucy Frazer: Offenders who are recalled to custody solely for a breach of the curfew conditions of their HDC licence must serve the remainder of their custodial term before being released after they have reached their automatic release date at the half-way point of the sentence.Offenders who are on HDC and recalled to custody for breach of the other conditions attached to their licence by, for example, failing to comply with probation supervision or commiting an offence, may be dealt with by a “standard” or fixed-term recall, depending on the circumstances. In cases where the Secretary of State is not satisfied that the offender may be safely released at the end of the fixed term period, they will be given a standard recall and will be required to remain in custody until the end of the sentence, unless released earlier by the Parole Board or Secretary of State. Offenders on HDC who are given a fixed-term recall of 14 days (for sentences under 12 months) or 28 days will be released after the fixed-term has been served, or at the automatic release date, whichever is later.It is not possible readily to show the number of offenders on HDC throughout each month and, therefore, the proportion of those who were reported for a potential breach. The table below gives the number of people on HDC at the end of each month of 2019 plus the total number of reports of potential breach of the curfew related conditions of HDC licences received from the electronic monitoring provider each month.HDC Caseload and Reports of potential breach of curfew 2019 by monthMonthHDC caseloadReports January2,835605February2,877384March2,950384April2,928432May2,956452June2,953503July2,884510August2,890470September2,807449October2,740505November2,827407December2,747397   TotalN/A5498 1.The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.2. This table includes the number of prisoners on HDC at a fixed point each month and not the total number of offenders who have been on HDC at some point during the month.3. This table includes the total number of reports received each month and not the total number of offenders reported for potential breach each month. Some will be reported for potential breach on more than one occasion across months.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Law Commission on the reintroduction of employment tribunal fees.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice hold regular discussions with many organisations, including the Law Commission, about various policy areas. There have been no decisions regarding the re-introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunal. The Government is committed to the effective enforcement of employment rights. Should we bring forward any formal proposals relating to the re-introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunal, they would be subject to a full public consultation.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the reintroduction of employment tribunal fees.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice has frequent discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on many aspects of Employment Tribunals. There have been no decisions regarding the re-introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunal. The Government is committed to the effective enforcement of employment rights. Should we bring forward any formal proposals relating to the re-introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunal, they would be subject to a full public consultation.

Employment Tribunals Service: Ethnic Groups

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in each category of ethnicity have brought employment tribunal claims in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: A diversity monitoring form is attached to the employment tribunal claim form ET1 but the completion of this form is optional. The completion rate is far below the usual 60% threshold used for diversity reporting. Representation rates based on return rates below 60% are not considered statistically valid because they are unlikely to provide a representative picture of all claimants.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2020 to Question 49084 on Prisons: Coronavirus, how many (a) cases of covid-19 and (b) covid-19 related deaths there have been in each prison in England and Wales as of 6 July 2020; and if he will publish that data on a weekly basis.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has put robust measures in place to protect staff and offenders from Covid-19 and introduce ‘compartmentalisation’, to isolate those prisoners with symptoms, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.Overall, prisons are seeing a decline in the numbers of new cases. The data in the table below shows the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases broken down by prison as of Friday 19 June 2020. These figures reflect the total number of recorded positive cases of Covid-19 since the first confirmed cases in mid-March, not the number of live cases. It includes individuals that have recovered.The numbers reported will be affected by a number of variables, including the availability of testing locally which can result in differences between sites and regions and as self-reported (for staff) through HMPPS management lines for central collation. PrisonStaff casesPrisoner casesAltcourse2414Askham Grange40Aylesbury40Bedford6~Belmarsh127Berwyn3341Birmingham22~Brinsford225Bristol~0Brixton0~Bronzefield6~Buckley Hall~~Bullingdon~0Bure~0Cardiff2422Channings Wood149Chelmsford10~Coldingley5~Dartmoor~~Deerbolt8~Doncaster129Dovegate9~Downview40Drake Hall2541Durham494Eastwood Park~0Elmley6~Erlestoke~~Featherstone~~Ford~~Forest Bank55Foston Hall~~Frankland12~Full Sutton40Garth70Gartree2510Grendon/Spring Hill0~Hatfield~~Haverigg~6Hewell429High Down14~Highpoint12~Hindley10~Hollesley Bay~~Holme House2316Hull~0Humber4110Huntercombe~~Isis46Isle of Wight~0Kirkham5~Kirklevington Grange~0Leeds4~Leicester65Lewes~0Lincoln~4Lindholme100Littlehey96Liverpool20~Long Lartin~~Low Newton0~Lowdham Grange~0Maidstone~~Manchester1920Moorland~~Morton Hall (IRC)~0Mount95New Hall~5North Sea Camp~0Northumberland14~Norwich60Nottingham~0Oakwood2520Onley177Parc67Pentonville154Peterborough (male)16~Preston4318Ranby85Risley2016Rye Hill6~Send~0Stafford50Standford Hill0~Stocken13~Stoke Heath~4Styal~0Sudbury~~Swaleside~0Swansea1012Swinfen Hall56Thameside~10Thorn Cross~0Usk/Prescoed1719Verne~0Wakefield~4Wandsworth~11Wealstun~0Whatton0~Whitemoor106Winchester234Woodhill230Wormwood Scrubs146Wymott1415TOTAL972499 Notes- Only prison establishments are included in this table and not Young Offenders Institutions, Secure Training Centres or Secure Children’s Homes.- The symbol ~ denotes suppressed values of 3 or fewer to avoid the risk of identifying individuals.  The table below shows the number of prisoners who have sadly died and Covid-19 is suspected to be the cause. This data is correct as of Friday 19 June and is broken down by prison. PrisonNumber of prisoner deathsAltcourse2Bedford1Belmarsh1Berwyn1Channings Wood2Durham1Gartree1Leicester1Littlehey3Low Newton1Manchester1New Hall1Oakwood1Peterborough1Rye Hill1Sudbury1Usk1Whatton1Winchester1Total23 Notes- Data for prisoner deaths represents individuals where Covid-19 is suspected to be the cause.  The table below shows the number of prison staff who have sadly died having tested positive for Covid-19. This data is correct as of Friday 19 June and is broken down by prison. PrisonNumber of prison staff deathsHollesley Bay1Dovegate1Manchester1Pentonville2Thameside1Usk1Wymott2Total9 Notes- Data for staff deaths represents individuals that have been confirmed as having Covid-19, though it is not necessarily the cause of death.The Ministry of Justice has started publishing a weekly release of Covid-19 related statistics. This includes confirmed Covid-19 cases in prisoners and children in custody; and deaths among prisoners and children in custody where Covid-19 is suspected to be the cause. These statistics provide total numbers across England and Wales, we do not plan to publish these statistics at an establishment level.The statistics release can be found here each Friday:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-covid-19-statistics

Approved Premises

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation 3 of the HM Prison & Probation Service's Action Plan of 30 June 2020, published in response to the Independent Review of the Case of Joseph McCann, for what reason the HM Prison & Probation Service has only Partly Agreed to ensure that there is sufficient capacity in the approved premises estate to accommodate all high risk of harm offenders who require a placement.

Lucy Frazer: The crimes committed by Joseph McCann were appalling and our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims and their families. We recognise that there were failings and we apologise unreservedly for our part in this. We are committed to doing everything we possibly can to learn from this terrible case.The Action Plan in response to the Independent Review of the case of Joseph McCann, Action 3 is partly agreed on the basis that as full funding for the Expansion Programme has yet to be secured.However, the Approved Premises Expansion Programme (APEX) is well underway, seeking to create a minimum of 200 additional bed spaces in Approved Premises (AP) nationally, to meet demand for AP residency and in support of the ministerial commitment. An additional 40 bed spaces were secured in 2019/20 and it is anticipated that at least a further 40 places will be secured in 2020/21.

Prisons: Parole Board

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HMPPS's Action Plan in response to the Independent Review of the Case of Joseph McCann, published on 30 June 2020, for what reason no response has been given to the recommendation of that Review on ensuring that prisons comply with the requirement to share all relevant information, including from prison security departments and records of prison behaviour, with the Parole Board.

Lucy Frazer: Our usual processes are to work to the Draft HMI Probation Report when drawing together the HMPPS Action Plan. HMI Probation did not indicate that they were amending the report recommendations prior to publication. We will now address the additional recommendation in the Inspection Report and publish an amended Action Plan at the earliest opportunity.

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2020, Youth Custody, HCWS302, when he plans to place in the Library the two reports on the use of restraint and separation in the secure youth justice estate.

Lucy Frazer: Copies of these reports have now been deposited in the Library. They can also be viewed via the following links on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-use-of-pain-inducing-techniques-in-the-youth-secure-estatehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/separation-of-children-in-young-offender-institutions--2

Prisons: Coronavirus

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a prison whistleblowing hotline to enable staff to confidentially report health and safety concerns (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will introduce such a hotline.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of a whistleblowing hotline to enable prison staff to confidentially report health and safety concerns (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of launching a campaign to raise awareness among prison staff of their health and safety legal rights (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will launch such a campaign.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of a campaign to raise awareness among prison staff of their health and safety legal rights (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Staff are aware that they can report H&S concerns to their line managers, or a H&S qualified practitioner present at each establishment. The Ministry of Justice has whistle blowing procedures in place for employees who wish to raise any concerns, including the endangering of an individual’s health and safety. The current H&S reporting system also provides a reliable local and national reporting and recording tool that allows staff to voice their concerns and for H&S teams to monitor and take action where necessary. We therefore do not have any current plans to initiate a specific whistleblowing hotline or campaign.All staff receive a full H&S induction upon commencement of their roles, which includes an introduction and explanation of the reporting and investigation process and local or notifications and contingencies are published by Governors advising staff of risks and to implement controls as necessary.HMPPS operates both national and local health and safety committees across probation and custody in line with the legal requirements for consultation on health and safety matters and maintains active engagement with health and safety representatives. Such committees are held at least quarterly and attendance by staff and union representatives is actively encouraged. This is in addition to an extensive range of informal consultation and liaison both nationally and locally.

Prisons: Risk Assessment

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information on prison risk assessments his Department has shared with education providers.

Lucy Frazer: We continue to work collaboratively with all key prison education stakeholders, especially throughout the current pandemic period. The Exceptional Delivery Model for Education and Libraries is currently being developed in close consultation with all Prison Education Framework (PEF) providers to assist prisons in reinstating elements of their regimes in a safe and controlled way. This means that everyone working in prisons will have a very clear understanding of any risks and the appropriate mitigating measures.

Solicitors: Legal Aid Scheme

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many firms of solicitors hold a criminal legal aid contract as at 1 July 2020.

Alex Chalk: Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than one office. There are currently 1,146 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,694 offices. This data is correct as at 2 July 2020.

Treasury

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Directors

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support company directors on annual payroll schemes who did not qualify for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as a result of the 19 March RTI deadline; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: For an employee to be eligible for the CJRS they must have been notified to HMRC on a real-time information (RTI) submission on or before 19 March. Those paid annually are eligible to claim, as long as they meet the relevant conditions including being notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020, which relates to a payment of earnings in the 2019/2020 tax year. Anyone paid annually and notified on an RTI submission after that date will not be eligible for the scheme, which puts them in the same position as those who are paid more frequently and were not notified to HMRC on or before 19 March. The Government has sought to prioritise help for the greatest number of people as quickly as possible. Given this, the CJRS has had to be set up to operate at significant scale and with limited manual intervention. Extending the cut-off date beyond 20 March would have significantly increased the risk of abuse because claims could not be verified against the risk of fraud using the data after this point, when the scheme became public. The Government is also supporting people on low incomes who need to rely on the welfare system through a significant package of temporary measures. These include a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1bn increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants. These changes will benefit new and existing claimants.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to provide support to SMEs to help ensure they can honour the holiday entitlement accrued by furloughed workers.

Kemi Badenoch: Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday per year. Workers who have been placed on furlough continue to accrue statutory holiday entitlements, and any additional holiday provided for under their employment contract. If a worker on furlough takes annual leave, an employer must calculate and pay the correct holiday pay in accordance with current legislation. Where this calculated rate is above the pay the worker receives while on furlough, the employer must pay the difference. However, as taking holiday does not break the furlough period, the employer can continue to claim the 80% CJRS grant to cover most of the cost of holiday pay. Further details and guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/holiday-entitlement-and-pay-during-coronavirus-covid-19. The CJRS is one of the most generous schemes in the world. We are supporting over 1 million firms and have paid out over £25 billion in grants. If an average CJRS claim lasted 8 months, the total cost of employer contributions would represent around 5% of the total gross employment costs an employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed. In addition, SMEs continue to have access to a comprehensive range of support measures. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

Social Enterprises: Coronavirus

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Co-operatives UK’s campaign to build back better following the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to ensure there is support for co-operative entrepreneurship in the Government's covid-19 recovery strategies; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The Government recognises the value of co-operatives, and the contribution they make to all sectors of the economy. The first phase of our economic response has seen us take unprecedented steps to support the economy through the crisis; to keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, to support viable businesses, including co-operatives, to stay afloat, and to protect the incomes of the most vulnerable. As we start to open the economy up and we look forward, our energies will focus on planning for the recovery, we will consider how best to support the economic recovery. We will develop new measures to grow the economy, to back business, including co-operatives, to boost skills, and to help people thrive in the new post-Covid world. We will continue to consider how we can best support the co-operative sector to reach its potential, and welcome the views of Co-operatives UK and others in the sector as we do.

British Wool Marketing Board: Coronavirus

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether British Wool is an arm's-length body of Government; and what plans he has to provide British Wool with support to help it tackle the effects of the covid-29 outbreak on that sector.

Steve Barclay: British Wool is not an Arm’s-Length Body, it is a public corporation. As such, it is not eligible to access the full range of coronavirus support provided to private businesses. However, sheep farmers remain eligible for a number of the business support schemes the Government has launched. These include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, Bounce Back Loans, Small Business Grant Funding and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Full details of the unprecedented support the Government has made available to businesses can be accessed on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.

Business: Payment Methods

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the number of businesses refusing cash payments during the covid-19 outbreak; and what steps the Government is taking to help ensure people can continue to pay in cash for essential goods and services.

John Glen: One of the impacts of the Covid-19 virus has been a decline in cash withdrawals and usage. Current BEIS guidance to retailers for working safely during COVID-19 advises minimising contact around transactions, for example, considering using contactless payments. The Government and regulators are closely engaged with industry on an ongoing basis to monitor risks to the cash system.The Government recognises that many businesses and individuals rely on cash in their daily lives. At the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash. The Government is engaging with regulators and industry while designing legislation, ensuring that the approach reflects the needs of cash users across the economy.

Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64280 on National Income, what gross national income forecast he is using to instruct Government Departments that spend Official Development Assistance (ODA) to reduce their ODA budgets.

Steve Barclay: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts of the economy and public finances. HM Treasury does not produce forecasts of the economy or public finances. The latest official forecast of Gross National Income (GNI) was published by the OBR on 11 March 2020. As mentioned in the reply you received on 29 June, the OBR published a reference scenario on 14 April assessing the potential impact of coronavirus on the economy and public finances. In this scenario real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is assumed to fall by 12.8% in 2020 before recovering quickly, growing by 16.1% in 2021. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment is linked to the size of the economy, so the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year. We take evidence-based spending decisions and ensure departments maintain high standards of programme delivery that are consistent with HMG best practice.

Personal Savings: Interest Rates

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to help people with savings that have been affected financially by low interest rates since (a) 2020 and (b) the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

John Glen: The pricing of financial products (including the interest rates offered on savings accounts) is a commercial decision for firms and the government does not seek to intervene in such decisions. Monetary policy, including recent interest rate cuts, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. The government therefore seeks to avoid commenting on the conduct and effectiveness of monetary policy. The MPC’s primary objective, as set out in law, is to maintain price stability and its secondary objective is to support the government’s economic policy. The government believes that low and stable inflation is an essential pre-requisite for economic growth; providing certainty for households and businesses, helping them in their day-to-day economic decision making. The MPC is sensitive to the effect of low interest rates on savers and does consider the effect that their decisions may have on all households. That said, the government is very aware of the challenges faced by savers in the current circumstances and has taken action on a number of fronts. In order to support savers and to reflect the government’s funding requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic, in April 2020 National Savings and Investments (NS&I) reversed planned rate reductions on NS&I’s variable rate products that were due to take effect on 1 May 2020. The government also announced on 1 May 2020 that the Lifetime ISA withdrawal charge will be reduced temporarily to 20% from 25% for any unauthorised withdrawal made between 6 March 2020 and 5 April 2021 recouping the government bonus and any interest or growth that may have accrued on that bonus, but with no further charge. Finally, the government has made significant changes over recent years to the way that income from savings is taxed, as part of its commitment to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save – this means that around 95% of people with savings income have no tax to pay on that income.

Directors: Coronavirus

Sir David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) including limited company directors in the Self Employed Income Support Scheme and (b) including dividends as income in relation to covid-19 support schemes.

Jesse Norman: I refer the Honourable Member to the written answer to Parliamentary Question 54215 given on 9 June 2020: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-06-03/54215/.

Banks: Compensation

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that banks comply with Financial Ombudsman decisions to compensate claimants.

John Glen: Final decisions made by the Financial Ombudsman are binding on firms, up to certain limits, if they are accepted by the customer. If a firm fails to comply with the Financial Ombudsman's decision, the ombudsman can report it to the Financial Conduct Authority and a business can ultimately lose its authorisation if it doesn’t comply. A complainant can also recover the money awarded, or enforce any direction made, through the courts.

Companies: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for assistance under the (a) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, (b) ability to defer VAT, (c) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme and (d) Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility have been rejected as a result of the applicant having been found not to meet the criteria for being based in the UK.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government has published aggregate application and approval figures on the loan schemes, including the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), and on VAT deferral, since 12 May, but does not hold specific information relating to applications of individual organisations or companies which have been rejected as a result of the applicants having been found not to meet the criteria for being based in the UK. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-coronavirus-covid-19-statistics#history. The Government is actively considering what further data can be made available in the future. The Bank of England is responsible for publishing data on the Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), including a list of organisations or companies who have made applications. This can be accessed here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/markets/bank-of-england-market-operations-guide/results-and-usage-data. HMRC published Official Statistics for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on 11 June, including a breakdown of sectoral recipients but not applications of individual organisations or companies which have been rejected as a result of the applicants having been found not to meet the criteria for being based in the UK. These can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/891249/Coronavirus_Job_Retention_Scheme_Statistics_June_2020.pdf Our current support measures are well-targeted at the businesses and individuals who most need support, bearing in mind the need to act quickly to deliver this unprecedented package. The schemes are designed to support jobs in Britain. Sometimes this will involve foreign companies who employ people in the UK. We shouldn’t deny support to British workers, or to businesses that make a valuable contribution to the UK.

Treasury: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20–Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, whether his Department plans to maintain the contractual relief in relation to the covid-19 oubreak set out in Procurement Policy Notice 02/20.

Kemi Badenoch: HM Treasury will continue working with its suppliers using the procurement policy guidance referred to.

Debts: Developing Countries

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to leverage private sector participation in the G20 debt relief initiative.

John Glen: The Chancellor and his G20 counterparts called upon private creditors to participate in the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) on comparable terms to the official sector on a voluntary basis. The G20 agreed a voluntary approach to private creditor participation partly due to concerns about borrowers’ long-term financing needs. It is important that developing countries do not see their access to international capital markets become too costly or restricted as mobilising private finance will be essential for crisis recovery and long-term sustainable development. HM Government is working closely with Institute of International Finance (IIF) and UK-based private creditors to support implementation of comparable debt service suspensions. We welcome the recently released IIF Terms of Reference to support their members’ engagement with eligible borrowers. HM Government will continue to monitor implementation of the DSSI by private lenders under this voluntary framework closely, as it is important that all creditors work together to help enable countries especially vulnerable to the pandemic to protect their citizens and economies.

Developing Countries: Debts

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the upcoming G20 meeting of Finance Ministers, what steps he has taken to facilitate debt relief for developing countries.

John Glen: HM Government is concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the debt vulnerabilities low-income developing countries, which were already at worrying levels before the crisis. While the UK cancelled most of our low-income developing country debt under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, the Chancellor joined his G20 counterparts to commit to a temporary suspension on debt service repayments from the 77 poorest countries under the debt service suspension initiative (DSSI). Through the DSSI, official creditors will provide up to US$12bn of cash flow relief to help countries respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The Chancellor and his counterparts will be meeting with his G20 counterparts later this month, in part to discuss DSSI implementation. The DSSI provides the breathing room for countries to respond to the crisis and for the international community to determine what further support may be needed for countries on a case-by-case basis. If debts do require restructuring, the UK will work with the Paris Club of official creditors, IMF, and WBG to support equitable debt reductions and long-term sustainable growth.

Banks: Switzerland

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of UK client funds held by Swiss banks at the end of 2019 were declared to HMRC by UK tax residents.

Jesse Norman: The information requested is not available. UK tax residents are not required to declare the amount of their funds held overseas. HMRC receive year end information on the value of UK residents’ assets held in Swiss financial institutions via the Common Reporting Standard. However, information for the year ending 31 December 2019 has not yet been exchanged. Taxpayers are required to declare the taxable income and gains received from assets held overseas for each tax year ending on 5 April. This cannot be accurately used to estimate the proportion of assets held overseas to which the declared income and gains relates.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Jamie Stone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of companies that were not eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as a result of filing their annual PAYE report after the 19 March 2020.

Jesse Norman: It is not possible to provide an answer in the time available.

National Income: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs's oral contribution of 30 June 2020 in the Official Report, if he will publish the economic figures that apply in relation to the effect of covid-19 on Gross National Income.

John Glen: HM Treasury does not produce forecasts of the economy or public finances. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts of the economy and public finances. On 14 April the OBR published a reference scenario assessing the potential impact of coronavirus on the economy and public finances. In this scenario real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is assumed to fall by 12.8 per cent in 2020 before recovering quickly, growing by 16.1% in 2021. The OBR assume that real GDP grows by 1.5% in 2022, 1.3% in 2023, and 1.4% in 2024. The OBR note that the Government’s policy response should help limit the long-term damage to the economy and public finances.

Overseas Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64944, on what dates Departments were (a) asked to identify reductions in their Official Development Assistance spend and (b) required to return that information to his Department.

Steve Barclay: As mentioned in my reply to you on 30 June, the government regularly discusses with departments the ODA funding allocated to projects, in order to ensure delivery of its commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on Official Development Assistance (ODA). Since this commitment is linked to the size of the economy, the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year, and therefore commitments of aid spending are being reviewed across all departments.

Entertainments: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to introduce a VAT exemption on ticket sales for the live entertainment sector when it re-opens to help its recovery from the effects of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Admissions to theatrical, musical or choreographic performances of a cultural nature already qualify for exemption from VAT if they are provided by a local authority or an eligible body such as a charity. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT. Extending this relief would carry a very significant cost to the Exchequer and must be viewed in the context of almost £50 billion of requests for relief from VAT since the EU referendum and in response to Covid-19. Given this context, there are no plans to change the VAT treatment of ticket sales for live entertainment at this time. The Hon Lady will note the significant package of additional support provided by the Government to the arts sector.

Entertainments: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to provide financial support to the live entertainment industry and the (i) self-employed and (ii) freelance workers it supports.

Kemi Badenoch: During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of social distancing across all key areas of the economy. The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like the entertainment industry. That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes to our welfare system including Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund and the Discretionary Grant Fund; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The CJRS was announced in March to help firms keep millions of people in employment, it is a temporary scheme ending at the end of October which has so far helped 1.1 million employers across the UK furlough 9.3 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods (as at midnight 28 June 2020 - here is a link to the latest figures). The SEISS helps self-employed workers adversely affected by COVID-19. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extension of the scheme on 29 May and eligible individuals may now qualify for a second and final grant. This means the UK continues to have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world as the economy reopens.  We will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors such as the entertainment industry as we respond to this pandemic and consider the longer-term economic recovery.

Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the most recent allocations of Official Development Assistance are for each Department for 2020-21.

Steve Barclay: The government will publish this information in due course.

Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the latest (a) reported and (b) projected spend of Official Development Assistance is for each Department for 2020.

Steve Barclay: We do not publish this information. Official Development Assistance spending fluctuates throughout the year and is monitored regularly by HM Treasury and DFID in order to meet the 0.7% target. Following the conclusion of each calendar year, DFID publish UK aid spend in Statistics on International Development (SID). Provisional SID's are published in the spring and a final publication is produced in the autumn. The SID series are designated as National Statistics publications. The most recent publication can be found in the link below, on provisional statistics of UK Aid spend in 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-provisional-uk-aid-spend-2019

Children: Day Care

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether childcare vouchers can be used for online service providers if they meet the criteria of developing skills in children and giving parents time to be able to do their own work.

Steve Barclay: Childcare vouchers can only be used for eligible childcare that meets the definition of “care” in section 318B(1) of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. Eligible care requires an element of supervised activity, where the provider has some control over the environment and can provide care for the child in the event of an emergency, thereby meeting health and safety requirements. Online service providers do not meet these conditions.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 52118, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the private coach hire sector on the ongoing risks and issues to that sector of the covid-19 outbreak in order to allocate additional funding to support that sector; and if he will make a statement.

Kemi Badenoch: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel. The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Coach companies, along with other businesses, may be able to benefit from a range of the available support measures.There are no plans to make any further statements at this time.

Casinos: Income

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the amount of revenue to the public purse generated from casinos; and what assessment he has made of the importance of the contribution of casinos to the UK's economic recovery.

Kemi Badenoch: Gaming Duty paid by casinos raises around £220 million in revenue for the Exchequer per year. The Government recognises the economic contribution the sector makes and has provided a package of measures to support businesses, including casinos, as announced by the Chancellor on 17 and 26 March. This includes a business rates holiday for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which provides loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank, backed by an 80% government guarantee.

Casinos: Coronavirus

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) furlough and (b) loss of tax revenue as a result of casinos remaining closed during the covid-19 outbreak.

Kemi Badenoch: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has published estimates of the cost of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The latest OBR estimates are available in the OBR’s coronavirus policy monitoring database, which can be found at: https://obr.uk/coronavirus-analysis/#pm. An estimate of CJRS payments made to casinos and an assessment of the loss of tax revenue as a result of casinos remaining closed during the covid-19 outbreak is not available.

Film and Television: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to take fiscal steps to help protect post-production film industry jobs affected by covid-19 restrictions on filming for (a) television and (b) film.

Kemi Badenoch: During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 across all key areas of the economy. The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like the creative industries, and on workers in television and film. That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes to our welfare system through Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund and the Discretionary Grant Fund; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The CJRS was announced in March to help firms keep millions of people in employment, it is a temporary scheme ending at the end of October which has so far helped 1.1 million employers across the UK furlough 9.3 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods (as at midnight 28 June 2020 - here is a link to the latest figures). The SEISS helps self-employed workers adversely affected by COVID-19. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extension of the scheme on 29 May and eligible individuals may now qualify for a second and final grant. This means the UK continues to have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world as the economy reopens. We will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors such as the entertainment industry as we respond to this pandemic and consider the longer-term economic recovery.

Overseas Aid

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the most recent 2020-21 Official Development Assistance allocations are for each ODA-spending Department.

Steve Barclay: The government will publish this information in due course.

Overseas Aid

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the most recent (a) reported and (b) projected 2020 Official Development Assistance spending was in each Department.

Steve Barclay: We do not publish this information. Official Development Assistance spending fluctuates throughout the year and is monitored regularly by HM Treasury and DFID in order to meet the 0.7% target. Following the conclusion of each calendar year, DFID publish UK aid spend in Statistics on International Development (SID). Provisional SID's are published in the spring and a final publication is produced in the autumn. The SID series are designated as National Statistics publications. The most recent publication can be found in the link below, on provisional statistics of UK Aid spend in 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-provisional-uk-aid-spend-2019

Overseas Aid

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate of gross national income he is using to calculate the 2020 Official Development Assistance budget.

Steve Barclay: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts of the economy and public finances. HM Treasury does not produce forecasts of the economy or public finances. The latest official forecast of Gross National Income (GNI) was published by the OBR on 11 March 2020. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment is linked to the size of the economy, so the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect on beneficiaries of the transition from the European Social Fund to the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government understands the importance of local growth funding to places and people and is committed to creating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds, providing vital investment in local economies, cutting out bureaucracy and levelling up those parts of the UK whose economies are furthest behind.   Furthermore, the 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to targeting the UK Shared Prosperity Fund at the UK’s specific needs, at a minimum matching the size of European structural funds in each nation and ensuring that £500 million of the Fund is used to give disadvantaged people the skills they need to make a success of life.   As we approach the transition from the European Social Fund to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we will continue to engage with partners, in order to aid policy development. Under the terms of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, the UK continues to participate in EU annual budgets under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020 MFF). As a result, England and the devolved administrations continue to have access to EU Structural and Investment Funds and spending through these programmes will continue until 2023.   Final decisions on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will need to be made through a cross-Government Spending Review, and we will set out further plans for the fund in due course.

Public Health Funerals

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of public health funerals conducted by local authorities in England in each of the last 3 years.

Christopher Pincher: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect the information requested. Figures on local authority expenditure on, and income from, the provision of cemetery, cremation and mortuary services, including closed churchyards and post-mortem services within mortuaries, from the past three years, are collected on the Revenue Outturn (RO) forms available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2018-to-2019-individual-local-authority-data-outturnhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2017-to-2018-individual-local-authority-data-outturnhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2016-to-2017-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus

Stephen  Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that the Business and Planning Bill considers the economic effect on the hospitality sector of allowing increased provision of tables and chairs on road sides.

Christopher Pincher: The Business and Planning Bill includes a temporary fast-track process to secure ‘pavement licences’ to support businesses selling food and drink through economic recovery as lockdown measures are eased but social distancing remains in place. This will allow businesses to maximise their capacity whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines. The current process for businesses to obtain these licences can be costly and time-consuming. The fast track includes a shorter consultation and determination period and a capped fee of £100. For those businesses which do benefit from the changes, economic benefits are envisaged to arise from being able to start serving outside sooner. Analysis of these benefits was published alongside the bill: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-01/0148/Analysis%20to%20support%20the%20Business%20and%20Planning%20Bill.pdf

Energy Performance Certificates: Government Departments

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many buildings (a) occupied and (b) used by government departments have a Display Energy Certificate.

Luke Hall: The Government does not routinely hold or collect data to identify public buildings that are frequently visited by the public and which require a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations. DECs are not required to record information that identifies a building as being occupied or used by a Government Department and frequently visited by the public. Therefore, this Department has not made an assessment of the number of buildings used or occupied by Government Departments that have a DEC.Data on DECs for buildings occupied by public authorities over a certain size threshold and frequently visited by the public can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-energy-performance-of-buildings-certificates (Table DEC1).

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the removal of all unsafe cladding from residential buildings.

Christopher Pincher: Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and we expect remedial works to progress at pace.For the removal of unsafe ACM cladding from high-rise residential buildings the Government has provided £600 million in funding. We have made progress, and as a result of our action, across all sectors, 209 buildings have either completed remediation or have had their ACM cladding systems removed. It is our ambition that all remaining building owners have works on site by the end of 2020, with completion of remedial works by the end of 2021.The Government will provide £1 billion in 2020/21 to support the remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings in both the private and social sectors.

Students: Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to students with housing contracts who plan to move between properties during the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: On 13 May we announced that anyone in England could move home as long as they followed the advice at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-advice-on-home-moving-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.This includes students moving into university-run and privately rented accommodation. Everyone involved in the moving process must follow social distancing to minimise the spread of the virus.Letting agents and landlords should also consider how best to conduct tenancy check-ins for new tenancies agreed while broader measures remain in place, taking care to follow government advice on social distancing.

Property Development: Newton-le-Willows

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason he called in the planning application for the Parkside development in Newton-le-Willows; and if he will publish the documentation his Department holds in relation to that decision.

Christopher Pincher: This planning application (P/2018/0048/OUP) for the construction of up to 92,900 m2 of employment floorspace (Use Class B8 with ancillary B1(a)) and associated servicing and infrastructure on the site of former Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows, was called-in by the Secretary of State on 21 May 2020. The reasons for the call in are as set out in the letter, and I am now arranging for a copy to be sent to the Honourable Member for St Helens North. It would not be appropriate for me to add anything.

Housing: Construction

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date he plans to publish his review of the quality of housing produced under permitted development rights.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 30 June 2020, what plans his Department has to publish the results of the review into the quality of homes delivered through permitted development rights before he introduces the new permitted development rights outlined in documents accompanying Prime Minister's speech.

Christopher Pincher: We have said that we would review the quality standard of homes delivered through permitted development rights for the change of use. The report will be published in due course.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff working in each decile of the London Grade 7 pay range are (a) women, (b) men, (c) BAME, and (d) white.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff working in each decile of the London Grade 7 pay range are (a) under 30, (b) under 40, (c) under 50, (d) under 60 and (e) over 60.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff working in each decile of the London Grade 7 pay range who are (a) women, (b) men, (c) BAME and (d) white are on the pay (i) minimum and (ii) maximum.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff working in each decile of the London Grade 7 pay range who are (a) under 30, (b) under 40, (c) under 50, (d) under 60 and (e) over 60 are on the pay (i) minimum and (ii) maximum.

Luke Hall: As of 30 June 2020, the Department employed 491 substantive officials on the London G7 pay range, of which 246 (50 per cent) were in receipt of the pay range minimum and accounted for all officials in deciles one to five of the pay range. Similarly, 45 (9 per cent) of officials on the London G7 pay range accounted for almost all (92 per cent) of officials in the tenth decile.Providing information for deciles six to nine, for the 200 officials in receipt of pay between the minimum and maximum of the pay range, is not suitable for release owing to the small numbers concerned when presented in the format requested.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Equal Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,  if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent full Equal Pay Audit of his Department or its predecessor Departments.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the last full Equal Pay Audit of his Department or its predecessor Departments was undertaken.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a full Equal Pay Audit of his Department will be undertaken in the next 12 months.

Luke Hall: The Equal Pay - Statutory Code of Practice (2010) states that while all employers should regularly review and monitor their pay practices, an audit is not a formal legal requirement. The only circumstances in which it becomes a legal requirement is if ordered to conduct one by an Employment Tribunal in the case of a breach.However, as part of our annual pay remit, we evaluate every recommendation and assess these for intended and unintended consequences on every protected characteristic. In addition, our published pay scales are gender neutral and are applied to all employees with the same underlying criteria, as set out by published Civil Service pay guidance. We also publish an annual gender pay gap report.

Leeds City Council: Coronavirus

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to make available further support for Leeds City Council to help meet the costs of tackling the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Simon Clarke: We have provided £3.7 billion to local authorities through un-ringfenced grants so they can address the expenditure pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes £500 million of additional funding announced by the Secretary of State on 2 July. Of this £3.7 billion, Leeds City Council has already received £43.7 million and allocations of the latest tranche of £500 million will be announced shortly. This additional funding will ensure councils, including Leeds City Council, have the resources they need for the months ahead.The Secretary of State has also announced a comprehensive approach to support councils in addressing their income losses. This includes a co-payment scheme to cover irrecoverable sales, fees and charges income in 20/21, and an extension of the period over which councils must manage shortfalls in local tax income relating to 2020-21, from 1 to 3 years. The Government will also announce further details of how it will also support local authorities to manage tax losses at the comprehensive spending review later in the year. Further guidance on the operation of the co-payment scheme will be released in due course.

Planning Permission

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2020 to Questions 61611 on planning permission, if he will list each of the 27 decisions issued on called in planning applications and recovered appeals.

Christopher Pincher: Since my answer to Question UIN 61611, a further two decisions have been issued. The 29 decisions on called in planning applications and recovered appeals are listed below, and all are published on the Gov.uk website.DateCase25/7/19N Worcs Golf Club (Birmingham CC)25/9/19214 Tunnel Ave (LB Greenwich)31/10/19Harrow School (LB Harrow)4/11/19HS2 Phase One (LB Hillingdon)4/11/19Pale Lane Farm, Fleet (Hart DC)5/11/19The Long Shoot (Nuneaton & Bedworth BC)5/11/19Darnhall, School Lane, Winsford5/11/19Sun Lane, Burley-in-Wharfedale (Bradford MDC)14/1/20Westferry Printworks (LB Tower Hamlets)22/1/20Land at Fiddington, Ashchurch (Tewkesbury BC)22/1/20Former car park, Tesco Store SE13 (LB Lewisham)24/2/20N London Business Park (LB Barnet)12/3/20Hatchfield farm, Newmarket (W Suffolk)12/3/2010 King Henry’s Rd NW3 (LB Camden)1/4/20Station Rd, Long Melford (Babergh DC)7/4/20Barbrook Lane, Tiptree (Colchester BC)9/4/20Vauxhall Bus station (LB Lambeth)9/4/20Land nr Whittlesford, Hinxton (S Cambs DC)22/4/20160 Stanley Rd, Cheadle Hulme (Stockport MBC)24/4/20Oxford Brookes Uni, Wheatley (S Oxon DC)29/4/20Burgess Business Park, (LB Southwark)13/5/20Moor Lane, Woodthorpe, (City of York)14/5/20Hawthorns, Farnham, Surrey (Waverley BC)3/6/20Love Lane, Woolwich (LB Greenwich)3/6/20VIP Trading Estate, SE7 (Greater London Authority)3/6/20Wolborough Barton, Devon (Teignbridge DC)15/6/20Levitt’s Field, Cambs (Cambs County Council)25/6/20Newport Rd, Woburn Sands (Milton Keynes Council)25/6/20Newcombe House, Notting Hill Gate (GLA)

Planning Permission

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2020 to Question 61611 on planning permission, which of the decisions issued on called in planning applications and recovered appeals involved a developer who (a) had previously donated or (b) went on to donate to the Conservative Party.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2020 to Questions 61611 on planning permission, which of the decisions issued on called in planning applications and recovered appeals involved a developer with whom he was personally acquainted.

Christopher Pincher: This information is not held by the Department.

Banks Group and WCM

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish details of (a) meetings and (b) correspondence he has had with representatives, employees or associates of (i) WCM and (ii) Banks Group.

Christopher Pincher: The Secretary of State has not had any meetings with representatives, employees or associates of West Cumbria Mining or Banks Group.Correspondence received on behalf of West Cumbria Mining and Banks Group relate to live planning decisions. As such it would not be appropriate to publish it before the decisions are issued in these cases.

Local Government: Constituencies

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on delaying the periodic Ward Boundary Reviews in (i) Tameside and (ii) Stockport for one year to allow local authorities to focus resources on covid-19  prevention and community support activity.

Mr Simon Clarke: Responsibility for reviewing ward boundaries sits with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, an independent Parliamentary body responsible to the Speaker's Committee, which agrees the Commission's budget and programme of work.

Ministry of Defence

Type 26 Frigates: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to make a decision on the second tranche of funding for the Type 26 Frigates.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Baroness Goldie of Bishopton), on 21 January 2020 to Question HL366 in the House of Lords.



HL366 - Type 26 Frigates - Procurement
(Word Document, 13.46 KB)

RFA Fort Victoria: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of additional maintenance costs associated with the deployment of RFA Fort Victoria as part of the Carrier Strike Group.

Jeremy Quin: RFA FORT VICTORIA benefitted from a planned £42 million refit in 2017. We do not anticipate there will be significant additional maintenance costs resulting from a deployment as part of the Carrier Strike Group.

Type 45 Destroyers: Repairs and Maintenance

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the engine modification programme for the six Type-45 destroyers, if he will publish for each destroyer the (a) nature of the original engine design fault; (b) proposed remedy; (c) estimated sea-time lost annually; (d) scheduled completion date for each upgraded vessel; (e) estimate of the additional cost of the upgrade and (f) recovery of the additional cost of making the ships seaworthy to be borne by (i) the engine designer, (ii) defence manufacturers and (iii) the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Quin: In 2011, an independent study commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) reported there was "no single root cause underlying the low reliability" experienced in the Type 45 Destroyers but a "large group of unconnected individual causes". It nevertheless concluded that Integrated Full Electric Propulsion remained a sound choice for the Type 45 Class. The nature of the interrelated defects associated with the fully integrated propulsion system masked the true extent of the inherent design shortcomings.Subsequent experience gained by deploying the ships to the most demanding operational environments revealed that the original design intent of operating the ship whilst running the WR21 gas turbine alone was flawed. The system in this mode was still not capable of delivering the desired level of reliability and the power generated by the ships' diesels meant that they could not provide the resilience required. Only the installation of additional diesel generators would allow these shortfalls to be addressed.For further details of the technical issues with the Type 45 Power and Propulsion System I would refer the rt. hon. Member to the Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review, dated March 2011, a copy of which, redacted in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, was placed in the Library of the House on 13 May 2016.In 2014, Project Napier was established with two core strands. First, the Equipment Improvement Plan (EIP) which has built on the work to enhance system reliability and to meet the original design intent in the near term. This work has delivered positive results with increases to availability across the fleet. In the longer term, the Power Improvement Plan (PIP) will improve system resilience by adding upgraded diesel generators to provide the electrical generation capacity required to meet many propulsion and power requirements without reliance on WR21 gas turbine.All Type 45 Destroyers will receive new diesel generators under the £160 million PIP conversion programme. Work is currently underway on HMS DAUNTLESS, the first ship to enter the programme, and she will return to sea for trials in 2021. Following completion of these sea trials, she will re-join the fleet. It is planned that all six Type 45 ships will have received the upgrade by the mid-2020s.The programme is dependent on the availability of ships to undertake the upgrade, balanced against the Royal Navy's current and future operational commitments. PIP conversions will be planned to take into account the regular Upkeep cycle to maximise the overall class availability. The first of class embodiment is expected to take 13 months from docking to enable a comprehensive suite of sea trials to prove the capability.The issue of liability stems from decisions taken early in the programme. This includes the main investment decision by the MOD in July 2000 to proceed with a Type 45 design based on an Integrated Full Electric Propulsion solution and subsequent selection of the WR21 gas turbine. As the issues now being addressed result from those earlier decisions, it is appropriate that liability for funding this work now rests with the MOD. A number of early modifications were implemented under the Type 45 Destroyer Contract for Availability arrangement with BAE Systems at no additional cost to the MOD.The Type 45 Destroyers are hugely capable ships and have been deployed successfully on a range of operations world-wide and they continue to make an enormous contribution to the defence of the UK and our international partners.

Investment Approvals Committee

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the membership of the Investment Approvals Committee.

Jeremy Quin: The Investment Approvals Committee (IAC) is chaired by the Department’s Permanent Secretary but this role is normally delegated to Director General Finance, who is a member in their own right. The other members of the Committee are: Vice Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability), Chief Scientific Advisor, Chief Information Officer and one of the Department's Non-Executive Directors, who is engaged on in-committee cases only. Membership of the IAC is reviewed annually.

Coronavirus: Disinformation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle disinformation in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.

James Heappey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith) and Bradford South (Judith Cummins) during Defence oral questions.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking in response to British service men and women being investigated and prosecuted for their service on Operation Banner; and if he will make a statement.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to ending vexatious claims as quickly as possible. We are working closely with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland towards this objective. As set out in his Written Ministerial Statement, he has committed to bringing forward legacy legislation which will deliver for victims and ensure Northern Ireland veterans are treated as fairly as those who served overseas. He will engage with colleagues from across the House as part of this process.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all conversion work for the E-7 Wedgetail will be undertaken in the UK.

Jeremy Quin: In May of this year, Boeing announced that a contract had been signed with STS Aviation to carry out the modification of the base 737 Next Generation civil airliner into E7 aircraft at Birmingham Airport.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department made of the cost of acquiring IP for the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft in order for support and maintenance work to be undertaken in the UK.

Jeremy Quin: There is no requirement for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to procure the Intellectual Property Rights in order for support of the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to be carried out in the UK. The aircraft acquisition contract provides the MOD with specified rights to share repair and maintenance information with suitably qualified organisations, subject to a licence agreement being in place with Boeing.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative estimate his Department made of support and maintenance work for the E-7 Wedgetail being undertaken in the UK and US.

Jeremy Quin: Work is currently underway to define the support requirements for the RAF E-7 Wedgetail fleet, and it is too early to provide any further details at this time.

Iraq: Detainees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63455 on Ministry of Defence: Iraq Detainees, of the 1000 civil claims filed in connection with operations in Iraq, how many of those claims were filed within (a) three and (b) six years of the alleged offence.

Johnny Mercer: We are unable to provide a complete response to this question, as we have not yet finished calculating the time elapsed between the date of the alleged incident and the date on which the claim was served in all cases. However, We can say that at least 500 were brought more than six years after the alleged incident, and would have been caught by the longstop introduced in the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel & Veterans) Bill; at least 250 were brought within thre to six years, and would have been subject to the Courts discretion; and at least 40 were brought within three years of the alleged incident.

*No heading*

Scott Mann: What steps his Department has taken to help support communities in north Cornwall during the covid-19 outbreak.

James Heappey: The Armed Forces’ contribution to the Government’s COVID-19 response has been invaluable. North Cornwall is no exception. Mobile Testing Units deployed to Bude, Bodmin and Launceston, providing a vital service to local communities. Nine military planners deployed to assist the Devon and Cornwall Local Resilience Forum with PPE distribution and testing, and a team of two soldiers were available to courier testing kits to Residential Care Homes across Cornwall and Devon.

*No heading*

Rachael Maskell: What assessment he has made of the role the armed forces have played in logistical planning during the covid-19 pandemic.

James Heappey: Defence logistic planners continue to provide vital support to the Covid-19 response. Planners were placed into the NHS crisis response cell, supported the NHS in the management and distribution of PPE, and helped create and deliver the National Testing Programme. The Defence logistics hub at Donnington distributed critical care equipment, and military teams assisted regional hubs across the UK.

*No heading*

Janet Daby: What recent estimate he has made of the number of armed forces personnel who have tested positive for covid-19.

James Heappey: Up to 30 June 2020 a total of 366 Service personnel had tested positive for COVID-19. In line with Government measures, these personnel were directed to self-isolate for the mandatory 14 days once they were confirmed as infected. This has not affected Defence’s ability to sustain its critical outputs.

*No heading*

Gerald Jones: What assessment he has made of the effect on veteran welfare of the temporary closure of the Veterans UK telephone helpline during the covid-19 outbreak.

Johnny Mercer: Veterans UK has helped over 13,000 veterans since 23 March 2020. Where urgent or vulnerable veterans have been identified, the Veterans Welfare Service has made immediate contact.

Department for Work and Pensions

Maternity Pay: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to provide additional statutory maternity pay to mothers who are unable to find childcare to enable their return to work during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) provide a measure of earnings replacement to help women who have worked during or close to their pregnancies to stop working towards the end of their pregnancy and in the months after childbirth, in the interests of their own and their babies' health and wellbeing.We currently have no plans to extend maternity pay or allowance. If SMP or MA entitlement ends, Universal Credit and/or Employment and Support Allowance are available to claim for people unable to work because they are directly affected by coronavirus or self-isolating according to Government advice.

Contact Tracing: Staff

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people working in contact centres (a) are working on site, (b) have been furloughed, (c) are self-isolating and (d) reporting symptoms or have tested positive for covid-19.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



DWP is committed to providing support to those who need it during the current Pandemic, we have moved a significant number of staff into priority roles to ensure that benefits claims are dealt with as quickly as possible, therefore most of our staff in service delivery roles will be dealing directly with claims (including establishing a virtual contact centre) and we are not able to break this down into figures for contact centres.With this caveat in mind then on 8 June 2020, 71,231 people (headcount) were working in the service delivery areas of the Department.a) The Department has the majority of its frontline workforce working within its offices, operating under social distancing rules. In addition, since April this year we have undertaken a programme of work to deploy IT equipment to enable staff to work from home wherever possible and as at 2 June, 15,980 items had been despatched. This number does not include those who had previously received IT KIT and who were already able to work from home. We are currently updating our Management Information systems to capture additional details on those working from home.(b) No Departmental staff have been furloughed(c) On 8 June 2020, 5,189 people were either self-isolating or quarantined for reasons related to covid-19 and unable to work. A high proportion of this group are shielding and, wherever possible, will receive IT equipment to enable them to work from home. Those staff who can work at home while self-isolating are continuing to do so.(d) On 8 June 2020, 285 people were absent having notified the Department of sickness as a result of covid-19.Across DWP locations we have a procedure in place that ensures that appropriate deep cleaning is undertaken where Covid-19 cases are reported. In addition, health and safety and social distancing guidance is shared with DWP colleagues on a regular basis.

Department for Work and Pensions: Secondment

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of her Department's staff have been seconded to other Government departments during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



As the Department for Work and Pensions is a critical department during the COVID-19 outbreak, and has experienced a significant increase in demand for our services, it has undertaken a small number of secondments and loans of members of staff to other Government departments. As at April 2020, the Department had 78,138 staff and we have seconded or loaned out only a very low number of individuals.

Bereavement Support Payment

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for bereavement support payment were (a) made and (b) successful at the (i) higher and (ii) lower rate in each year since its introduction.

Mims Davies: Experimental official statistics for Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) are published quarterly here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistical-summaries The latest statistics were published in May 2020 and Table 1 provides the number of BSP claims received by month between April 2017 and December 2019 here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistics-may-2020 Additional BSP statistics are not currently available and will be published in due course, however, BSP caseload statistics, by rate, are published in the benefit expenditure and caseload tables here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2020

Bereavement Support Payment

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid in bereavement support payments in each year since its introduction.

Mims Davies: Annual Bereavement Support Payment expenditure statistics are published in the benefit expenditure and caseload tables here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2020

Bereavement Support Payment: Cohabitation

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for bereavement support payment were refused on the grounds that a co-habiting couple is not eligible, in each year since 2015.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much energy her departmental buildings have used in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2020 to date.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions recently submitted its annual Greening Government Commitments (GGC) return for 2019/20. Whilst we await final confirmation from DEFRA, the indication is that we have met our carbon targets for departmental buildings for 2019/20. COVID-19 has delayed confirmation of the post-2019/20 GGC targets. When these targets are received our view forward will be clearer, however in the meantime we are in the process of writing a Carbon Management Plan which makes reference to the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, as well as the UK’s commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2050 and the UKGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Framework. This will include recommendations to: - Improve the operational performance of our estate;- Invest in our estate to improve energy efficiency;- Ensure we lease highly energy efficient buildings;Ensure that energy efficiency standards are adhered to when we refurbish or fit out buildings Energy consumption figures in kWh for buildings on the DWP Estate for the previous five financial years, and the current financial year to date: 2015/16 Electricity Gas Oil kWh 142,938,047172,577,3384,546,526 2016/17 Electricity Gas Oil kWh 137,911,182178,514,2756,203,224 2017/18 Electricity Gas Oil kWh 134,436,097178,514,2754,579,998 2018/19 Electricity Gas Oil kWh 122,279,492165,419,2323,113,567 2019/20 Electricity Gas Oil kWh 116,856,847178,964,8213,672,365 2020/21 (YTD)Electricity Gas Oil kWh 8,552,28817,368,769153,920

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that universal credit claimants are not penalised as a result of delays in being placed on furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and having backdated payments treated as current income.

Will Quince: Universal Credit replaces a highly complex system of multiple benefits with a single monthly payment. It introduces a simple taper system to ensure that claimants are better off in work and keeping more of what they earn compared to the legacy benefit system.The amount of Universal Credit paid to claimants reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period. Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit.During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been identified that some employers are reporting earnings incorrectly as a result of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We are working closely with HM Revenue and Customs on this issue who have re-enforced guidance and are contacting employers on the cases we identify.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of married women (a) entitled to and (b) in receipt of a state pension through the National Insurance contributions of a their (i) husband, (ii) late husband or (ii) ex husband; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 24 June 2020



It is not possible to estimate the number of married women entitled to a State Pension through the National Insurance contributions of their husband, late husband or ex-husband, because their entitlement will only be determined by a consideration of their individual circumstances.

Universal Credit

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will increase the personal allowance of legacy benefits so that they are aligned with universal credit payments.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. We estimate that 2.5 million households receiving Universal Credit will benefit straight away from the increase in the standard allowance rates which was announced on 20 March, and which is additional to the planned annual uprating. New claimants who have either become unemployed, or whose earnings or work hours have decreased because of the outbreak, will benefit too, subject to their eligibility. We have also made a number of changes to legacy and other working age benefits in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including increasing certain entitlements, such as Local Housing Allowance. Up-to-date information about the employment and benefits support available, including Universal Credit, Statutory Sick Pay, New style Jobseeker's Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance, can be found here: www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support It has always been the case that claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for UC if they believe that they will be better off. There are special arrangements for those in receipt of the Severe Disability Premium, who will be able to make a new claim to Universal Credit from January 2021. However, claimants should check their eligibility before applying to Universal Credit as legacy benefits will end when they submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. Neither DWP nor HMRC can advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits.

Personal Income: Scotland

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of what lessons can be learned from the conclusions and recommendations in Basic Income Scotland’s Report on the feasibility of Scottish Citizens’ Basic Income pilots published in June 2020.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



The Department for Work and Pensions have no plans to make an assessment.

Personal Independence Payment

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on the personal independence payment administrative exercise; and what the timeframe is for the completion of that exercise.

Justin Tomlinson: We are answering with reference to the administrative exercise following the MH and RJ judgments on Personal Independence Payment. As of 5 January 2020, we had cleared around 720,000 cases under the MH decision and around 820,000 cases under the RJ decision. Most, but not all, cases are cleared against both decisions. We have paused this exercise to support the Department’s coronavirus response. We understand the importance of continuing the exercise and this decision is currently under review. When the exercise resumes, we will announce the date of the next progress update at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pip-administrative-exercise-progress-on-cases-cleared.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent delays to the mandatory reconsideration process during the covid-19 outbreak.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP is continuing to process Mandatory Reconsiderations during the current Covid-19 pandemic and is aiming to avoid delay where possible.

Employment: Coronavirus

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with (a) disabilities and (b) long-term conditions and (c) arthritis are supported (i) to work from home and (ii) when returning to work during the covid-19 outbreak.

Justin Tomlinson: Recognising the additional challenges Covid-19 may produce for people who have a disability or health condition, Access to Work has introduced a number of measures to support disabled people and those with a health condition whether they are working in the workplace, working from home, or returning to work.During the pandemic Access to Work has been keen to support the use of assistive technology and where necessary has adapted existing awards to meet new working environments. This could include switching from face to face British Sign Language Interpreting to Video Remote Interpreting services where possible as well as making greater use of assistive technology and software. In addition, to reflect concerns raised by stakeholders Access to Work has introduced and following measures:Accepting email claim forms from customers who request this as a reasonable adjustment;Accepting employer and support worker signatures via email;Extending Support Worker awards that are coming to an end by 6 months;Extending the timeframe customers have to submit payment claim forms to 9 months;Adapting the way our assessments are undertaken to support customers who don’t know what support they need and/or where coping strategies are required as part of the Mental Health Support Service;Flexing support and supporting the moving of special aids and equipment from the workplace to home, and providing new equipment for employees working from home where necessary; andPrioritising new applications from key workers and those with jobs starting within the next 4 weeks.

Access to Work Programme: Coronavirus

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional people with (a) a disability, (b) long-term health conditions and (c) arthritis have been supported by the Access to Work Scheme since the covid-19 lockdown.

Justin Tomlinson: Access to Work continues to provide practical and financial support for people who have a disability or a health condition and require reasonable adjustments which are beyond standard adjustments an employer is required to provide. Information about Access to Work can be found in the Official Access to Work Statistics which are published annually and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics-april-2007-to-march-2019. The figures which relate to number of people who received an Access to Work payment this year will be available in the future Access to Work publication. Under the Code of Practice for Statistics the figures for 2020/21 cannot be released ahead of the official publication of the Access to Work Statistics. For this reason, it is not possible to provide the aggregated figures you have requested. This year’s statistics are due to be published in September 2021, and when published can be found using the link provided. The Access to Work Statistics report the number of people who have received at least one Access to Work payment in a given financial year. Table 8 of the statistics in particular shows the number of people who have received an Access to Work payment broken down by primary medical condition (PMC). Disability, long-term health conditions and arthritis are not classed as individual PMC’s, and these conditions are recorded under the PMC categories. To support disabled people to retain, adapt and move into employment during the pandemic, Access to Work has introduced a package of measures. These are:Accepting email claim forms from customers who request this as a reasonable adjustment;Accepting employer and support worker signatures via email;Extending Support Worker awards that are coming to an end by 6 months;Extending the timeframe customers have to submit payment claim forms to 9 months;Adapting the way our assessments are undertaken to support customers;Flexing support and supporting the moving of special aids and equipment from the workplace to home, and providing new equipment for employees working from home where necessary; andPrioritising new applications from key workers and those with jobs starting within the next 4 weeks.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to use the Government’s administrative data to identify married women who are not receiving the level of state pension to which they are entitled; how many of those women have been identified; what the average value is of those backdated state pension payments, and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



We are aware of a number of cases where individuals have been underpaid State Pension. We corrected our records and reimbursed those affected as soon as errors were identified. We would encourage anyone who thinks they have failed to claim a State Pension increase they are eligible for to contact the department.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a widow is entitled to claim back underpaid state pension for periods before she was widowed.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



In circumstances where it is identified that individuals are entitled to arrears of underpaid State Pension, these are paid in accordance with relevant legislation (section 1 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992) if a claim to Category BL is required, and if a claim is not required Social Security ((Claims and Payments) Regs 1987, reg 3(cb)). Any person seeking to claim can get assistance if they call The Pension Service on its Freephone number 0800 731 0469.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure benefit claimants with childcare responsibilities as a result of covid-19 are not sanctioned for failing to meet Jobcentre Plus appointments.

Mims Davies: A full range of safeguards remain in place to ensure we only expect what is reasonable from our claimants. Claimant Commitments must be reasonable for the ‘new normal’, acknowledging the reality of a person’s local jobs market and personal circumstances to prepare them for getting back into work. In circumstances where a claimant has informed us they have childcare issues, due to Covid 19, an easement may be applied.

Unemployment

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) men, and (b) women who have been made unemployed since 22 March 2020.

Mims Davies: The latest Labour Market statistics can be found here.

Department for Work and Pensions: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.

Mims Davies: Procurement Policy Notice 04/20 came in to force on the 1st of July effectively replacing PPN 02/20 which provided for payment of suppliers to ensure service continuity during and after the current coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak. Following publication of PPN 02/20 the commercial team acted immediately to review the Department’s supply chain and, on a case-by-case basis, identify suppliers at risk and agreed a number of payments under this PPN, to ensure suppliers identified as at risk would be in a position to resume normal contract delivery once the outbreak is over. PPN 04/20 enables payments made under PPN 02/20 to continue until the 31st of October 2020 as well as for new relief payments to be made where a new need to provide support to at risk suppliers is identified and enables the Department to make alternative relief arrangements such as easing of certain service levels. It also requires the Department to work transparently in partnership with suppliers to plan an eventual exit from these relief measures. As such, the commercial team continue to work with colleagues throughout the Department to monitor individual suppliers within our supply chain, understand the changing position of those suppliers in receipt of relief payments and identify any additional suppliers who may require support. Again, the assessment of relief is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the particular circumstances of each supplier impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Whenever a relief payment has been considered under PPN 02/20, or will be considered under PPN 04/20, this follows a rigorous approval process assessing the particular circumstances of the supplier, the market and the need, and is subject to both commercial and Departmental approval prior to any payment being made. This ensures that the merits of making or continuing the relief payments or easing of service levels are considered at all stages of the process As we move in to the effective period of PPN 04/20 we do not anticipate the immediate cessation of any relief payments but the existing relief provided (as detailed below) will be monitored closely and we will proactively discuss and make appropriate arrangements with each of the suppliers in receipt of relief to move towards a sustainable position by the end of October 2020. This will involve an assessment of the new or continuing circumstances and challenges that the supplier might be facing, which may in fact be exacerbated by the resumption of some services, and the mutual agreement of appropriate relief measures as well as a plan to transition to steady state. In cases where a return to a pre-COVID state might not be viable, discussions with the supplier will extend to agreeing appropriate contractual arrangements for a new, sustainable position.

Children: Maintenance

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of  16 June 2020 to Question 57092 on Children: Maintenance, whether the redeployment of staff led to the decision by the Child Maintenance Service to suspend initiating new enforcement action; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that suspension on parents.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department consulted expert groups, stakeholders and social security recipients on the reintroduction of conditionality and sanctions in the social security system from 1 July 2020.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence her Department holds on the effectiveness of sanctions as part of the social security system in helping people find work.

Mims Davies: The Department holds the following evidence from surveys on this. 72% of claimants agreed that the potential for sanctions meant they were more likely to conduct work search – UC extended gateway evaluation 2015 (page 38 at the link below). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481865/universal-credit-extended-gateway-evaluation.pdf Around 70% of JSA claimants and 60% of ESA claimants who were aware their benefit could be reduced / stopped, if they did not comply with certain conditions, felt they were more likely to follow the rules - The job centre plus offer final evaluation report, (page 28 at the link below). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261656/rrep852.pdf The Department has also committed to doing an evaluation of the effectiveness of Universal Credit sanctions at supporting claimants to search for work in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on benefit sanctions. The Department will look to publish this by the end of 2020.[PRDSA1][PRDSA1]Are we on track to deliver – do we need to build in time and say by the end of 2020.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research on the link between social security sanctions and food bank use.

Mims Davies: We have not commissioned any research on this. To better understand what drives food bank usage the department is currently undertaking a review of external literature, we plan to publish this review by the end of the summer.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken on the reintroduction of conditionality and sanctions in the social security system on 1 July 2020.

Mims Davies: Yes – an equality analysis has been undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions on the reinstatement of conditionality across affected benefits, and provided to the Secretary of State so she can fulfil her Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) responsibilities.

Universal Credit: Fraud

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2020 to PQ 62300 on Universal Credit: Fraud, at what stage her Department's investigations into cases of universal credit scams for claimants in the Borough of Halton are; and when those claimants will have their benefits restored.

Will Quince: The Department does not store information at a constituency level. As a result, providing the requested information would incur disproportionate costs. If an individual approaches DWP alleging they have had their identity fraudulently used, we will investigate the matter. We endeavour to ensure that these investigations are brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. Where a person has had their details used to make a fraudulent claim for Universal Credit, the Department may consider the reinstatement of legacy benefits where it is clear they played no part in the making of the claim.

Universal Credit: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64868, how many universal credit claimants in Wales are directly affected by the decision of the Court of Appeal of 22 June 2020 in the case Johnson, Woods, Barrett and Stewart v the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Will Quince: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the number of DS1500 forms issued during March to June (a) 2020 and (b) 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: The DS1500 is not issued by DWP. It is completed by a terminally ill patient’s doctor or other healthcare professional and returned to DWP. The doctor or healthcare professional provides information about their patient’s condition, including its clinical features and ongoing or planned treatment on the DS1500. The DS1500 is not a claim form in itself and is not a requirement to support a claim under the special rules for terminal illness but it remains the quickest and most appropriate route to gather evidence to support entitlement in these cases. Guidance for Healthcare Professionals can be found herehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-factual-medical-reports-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals/dwp-medical-factual-reports-a-guide-to-completion

Social Security Benefits: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the number of whether additional staff will be required to process social security cases once claimant conditionality is reintroduced, and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: Jobcentres have remained open throughout, providing support to our most vulnerable customers. In line with the easing of restrictions in England, from 1st July, people will be able to make an appointment with their Work Coach if they can’t get the help they want online or over the phone. Work Coaches, as part of the individualised approach, will be calling all claimants to engage with them. We will continue to be align with current guidance from Scotland and Wales. The Department is continually assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. We have already committed to increasing the number of Work Coaches and Case Managers and recruitment is already underway.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fishing Catches: Computer Software

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce a replacement CatchApp fish landings App.

Victoria Prentis: There is no plan to replace the current under 10 metre catch recording application. In line with Agile development principles and common to many Government digital services, the app remains in a ‘public beta’ phase of development. The Marine Management Organisation is committed to continuous improvement based on feedback from stakeholders to improve the app’s functionality and utility.

Flowers: Packaging

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the environmental impact of floral foam.

Rebecca Pow: Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world today. The UK is a world leader in tackling plastic pollution, including microplastics. There has been substantial research which reports the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment. However, little is known about the sources, release and impact of microplastics, including floral foam, in the freshwater environment and their transport to marine compartments. One of Defra's priority research needs is to further our understanding of the effects of these materials on the freshwater environment. Our priority is preventing plastic from entering the environment in the first place. The Government's landmark Resources and Waste Strategy sets out our plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042. We are also seeking a new power in the Environment Bill to be able to place charges on single-use plastic items to encourage businesses and citizens to shift toward more reusable products.

Land: Contamination

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the withdrawal of Capital Grant funding for contaminated land remediation in 2017 on the development of (a) brownfield and (b) greenbelt sites.

Rebecca Pow: No assessment has been made of the effect of the withdrawal of Capital Grant funding in 2017 for contaminated land remediation on brownfield and greenbelt sites. It is the responsibility of local authorities to identify and prioritise contaminated land remediation where there is an unacceptable risk to health and the environment, as under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This includes brownfield and greenbelt sites where there is an unacceptable risk from the current land use.

Air Pollution: Coronavirus

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the effect of air pollution on the spread of covid-19.

Rebecca Pow: We have provided no specific guidance to local authorities on the effect of air pollution on the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). However, on 7 April, we asked the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to issue a call for evidence addressing areas of current scientific uncertainty related to the potential interactions between COVID-19 and UK air pollution. The AQEG report assessing available evidence was published on the UK Air website on 1 July. The report concluded that there is currently very limited evidence to support the concept of transmission of viable live SARS-Cov-2 virus via ambient (outdoor) particulate matter. We continue to work with our colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and the wider research community to improve our understanding of this issue.

Air Pollution: Monitoring

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to enable local authorities to monitor air pollution levels.

Rebecca Pow: The Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. When a local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded, it should carry out appropriate air quality monitoring. Defra provides technical and policy guidance to local authorities to assist them in meeting these LAQM responsibilities. Defra also provides technical support to local authorities via a dedicated local air quality management Helpdesk (phone, email and webpage) and calculation tools to support local authorities in their monitoring and modelling efforts to ensure a consistent approach.

Air Pollution

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the number of local authority areas with air pollution levels higher than World Health Organisation guidelines.

Rebecca Pow: We do not routinely assess air pollution levels against World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines at a local authority level. However, local authorities are required to review and assess local air quality with regard to air quality standards and objectives under the Local Air Quality Management regime. We have committed to setting a new ambitious target for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). As part of that work we have explored progress made towards WHO PM2.5 guidelines on a national level and a report was published in July 2019. The Government is committed to evidence-based policy making and will consider the WHO annual mean guideline level for PM2.5 when setting the target, alongside independent expert advice, evidence and analysis on a diversity of factors. It is important to get this right and set a target that is ambitious, achievable and focuses on how the greatest public health benefits can be achieved.

Low Emission Zones

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing to local authorities to introduce low emission zones.

Rebecca Pow: Air pollution poses one of the biggest environmental threats to public health, which is why the Government is already investing £3.8 billion to clean up our air. This includes £880 million ring-fenced for local authorities to tackle previously identified nitrogen dioxide exceedances. The Defra/Department for Transport Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) continues to work closely with those local authorities developing and implementing local clean air plans, which can include charging Clean Air Zones (CAZs). JAQU provides these local authorities with guidance on the practicalities of setting up a CAZ, including information on both the digital interface and the physical infrastructure required to make CAZs function effectively.

Tree Planting

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many native trees have been planted in each of the last three years; how much his Department has spent on supporting native tree planting in each of those years as part of climate mitigation efforts; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: Trees have an important role to play for climate mitigation as we work towards net zero emissions. The Government has made major commitments to enable more tree planting in recent years, including through creation of a £640 million Nature for Climate Fund. Over 4,000 hectares of woodland have been planted with Government support in England over the last three years at a cost of approximately £17 million. While complying with the United Kingdom Forestry Standard, land managers and owners decide which species of tree to plant on their land. Woodland planted will be a mix of native and exotic species, all of which contribute towards climate mitigation. As we deploy new funding we will look to ensure the trees we plant not only capture carbon, but deliver a wide range of ecosystems services.

Home Office

Police National Computer: Disclosure of Information

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many conviction alerts on foreign nationals have not been sent to police in their home countries in each of the last three years, by country.

Kit Malthouse: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 July 2020.The correct answer should have been:

ACRO and the Home Office are working to identify a technical fix and implement it as soon as possible.In order to resolve this issue, an ongoing technical response has been put in place. It is not possible to provide a specific figure of the number of notifications per EU Member States until the technical response is complete. Each Member State will be notified with the number of notifications they will receive as they are sent, to enable them to process the data as they see appropriate. The Home Office is working closely with the national Criminal Records Office (ACRO) to finalise the resolution of this issue as soon as possible.

Kit Malthouse: ACRO and the Home Office are working to identify a technical fix and implement it as soon as possible.In order to resolve this issue, an ongoing technical response has been put in place. It is not possible to provide a specific figure of the number of notifications per EU Member States until the technical response is complete. Each Member State will be notified with the number of notifications they will receive as they are sent, to enable them to process the data as they see appropriate. The Home Office is working closely with the national Criminal Records Office (ACRO) to finalise the resolution of this issue as soon as possible.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants died after making an application.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants died before receiving compensation.

Priti Patel: It is hugely regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure that where they are aware of claimants with critical or life shortening illnesses, that their cases are prioritised.In the deeply unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, but before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible.We are aware of five unfortunate cases to date where the claimant has passed away after having submitted a claim but before receiving compensation. We are working closely with the families and legal representatives to determine the right person to whom the compensation can be paid.To help family members during this distressing time, we have provided links to Government websites that provide information on how to deal with bereavement and we have offered assistance from our claim’s assistance provider Citizens Advice which is well versed in dealing with the financial implications of bereavement.

Windrush Generation: Leicester East

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of victims of the Windrush scandal that reside in Leicester East constituency.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many victims of the Windrush scandal in Leicester East constituency have received compensation.

Priti Patel: Data on the number of members of the Windrush generation that reside in Leicester East constituency is not available. Information relating to individual Windrush migrants is not recorded by constituency.Information on the total number of claims paid and the overall amount paid out by the scheme is available to view on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-may-2020.We do not break down the number of claims awarded by geographical area as this could potentially identify individual claimants. Furthermore, the addresses provided by claimants may well change over time, therefore rendering a search potentially inaccurate.

Windrush Lessons Learned Review

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the Windrush Lessons Learned report.

Priti Patel: The Home Secretary published this report on 19th March 2020

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Windrush compensation payments are processed and resolved efficiently.

Priti Patel: We are processing claims as quickly as possible, but all claims are different, and the time taken will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the case. We are committed to working with the claimant to ensure all possible information is taken into account and this will have an impact on the length of time it takes to process the claim. Wherever possible, we make interim payments on parts of the claim that are straightforward to determine, such as immigration fees, thereby speeding up the provision of compensation.Our recently published statistics on the payments made under the Windrush Compensation Scheme, show a clear increasing trajectory of payments: £362,997 paid in the first 12 months of the scheme, of which £300,799 was paid in the most recent three months of that period.The Home Office has now offered a total of more than £1 million in compensation through the scheme. Once the offers are accepted by the applicants, the payments will be made.We work with claimants throughout the process to obtain as much information about the claim as possible. This approach ensures that claimants receive the maximum possible amount to which they are entitled under the scheme.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications have been made to the Windrush compensation scheme; how many of those applications have been successful; what steps the Government is taking to publicise the scheme; and whether there is a cap on the level of compensation people can receive.

Priti Patel: Information on the total number of applications made to the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the applications that have been successful is available to view on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-may-2020.The Home Office has launched a digital engagement programme to ensure that outreach and engagement can continue despite the current social distancing measures due to Covid 19. The first event in this programme was held on 21 May and the further programme of events can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/windrush-engagement-events.On 19 March, the Home Secretary announced a new national communications campaign. The campaign will primarily target Windrush affected groups from across the UK and who may be eligible for help from the schemes. The campaign will also reach a secondary audience of the children and grandchildren of the Windrush generation who may themselves have been affected and are also well positioned to help older relatives to apply.A mix of advertising channels will be used, such as radio and digital channels, to ensure information reaches affected communities as effectively as possible. We will work closely with stakeholders and partners trusted by the community to develop and deliver communications activity. To ensure spend has been effective, we will undertake a robust evaluation of the activity.There is no overall cap on the amount an individual can receive in compensation under the Scheme.

Airports: Coronavirus

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments her Department is undertaking on the effectiveness of the approaches of other countries on testing individuals arriving at airports from abroad.

Kevin Foster: Home Office Ministers continue to take advice from the scientific advice bodies, such as SAGE and Public Health England on the effectiveness of testing individuals on arrival. This includes other countries’ experiences.Self-isolation requirements were introduced on 8 June for those coming into the UK to reduce the risk of new cases of infection being brought into the UK from overseas. This policy is a crucial part of our plan to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections in the UK. For the moment, temperature screening does not form part of measures imposed at the border as it is assessed not to provide an effective indication of being infected with coronavirus. Travellers may remain asymptomatic or will be able to mask symptoms, such as a high temperature, through medication.There remain in place procedures for dealing with passengers who report as symptomatic upon arrival.

Domestic Abuse: Victims

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to oral contributions from the Minister for Safeguarding and the hon. Member for the Cities of London and Westminster at the Public Bill Committee for the Domestic Abuse Bill on 4 June 2020, if the she will publish the (a) guidance, (b) referral forms and (c) any other associated documents that show the inclusion of victims of domestic abuse who have not been trafficked in to the National Referral Mechanism; and if she will set out details of what the support package is through the NRM for victims of domestic abuse.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish all correspondence between her Department and the contract provider for the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract on the inclusion within that contract of support services for victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds.

Victoria Atkins: All adults referred in to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and who are in receipt of a positive reasonable grounds decision are eligible to receive support through the Victim Care Contract (VCC) to assist with recovery from their modern slavery experience(s). Support through the VCC is provided to meet the needs of an individual as linked to their modern slavery experience(s) and will not be provided to an individual who is not a potential or confirmed victim of modern slavery. This support is available to all potential victims of modern slavery, irrespective of their immigration status and including individuals with no recourse to public funds. Decisions about VCC support provision will take into account the individual’s eligibility to access other support services outside of the VCC. The type of support received through the VCC is tailored, at each stage, according to the potential victim or confirmed victim’s needs. Support provision may include any combination of subsistence payments, support worker contact and assistance, and accommodation provision. The Modern Slavery Act 2015: statutory guidance for England and Wales, outlines the different forms that modern slavery can take and its links with other forms of exploitation. However, this is not an exhaustive list - Modern Slavery is an umbrella term, to reflect the evolving nature of this heinous crime and we fully recognise that the guidance can apply to victims of modern slavery who are also victims of domestic abuse. Support provided through the VCC to meet an individual’s needs related to modern slavery will always take into account wider circumstances or vulnerabilities faced. For example, in the context of a victim of modern slavery also being a victim of domestic abuse, support workers may signpost that individual to local domestic abuse services to receive specialist support or guidance. The statutory guidance can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896033/July_2020_-_Statutory_Guidance_under_the_Modern_Slavery_Act_2015_v1.01.pdf

Community Development

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to make funding from the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme available to charities to help support their work in countering extremism and building community resilience.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that charities working to build community resilience are eligible for funding from the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme.

James Brokenshire: The Government is taking a comprehensive approach to tackling the evil ideology of extremism, whether violent or non-violent, Islamist or far and extreme right wing. Arrangements for the Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme for 20/21 will be communicated shortly. To date, the BSBT programme has provided grant and in-kind support to over 240 groups to deliver more than 370 projects across England and Wales that challenge extremism in all its forms and offer a positive alternative.

Non-molestation Orders: Coronavirus

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure the safety of alleged victims in cases where a non-molestation order has been breached during the covid-19 outbreak and the alleged perpetrator of the breach is awaiting trial.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure the safety of alleged victims in cases where a non-molestation order has been breached during the covid-19 outbreak and the alleged perpatrator of the breach is awaiting trial.

Victoria Atkins: Domestic abuse cases are amongst the highest priority work being dealt with by the courts. Non-molestation orders have been placed in the highest category of work in the magistrates’ and family courts, and they continue to be listed for urgent hearings despite the current restrictions. Domestic abuse cases will continue to be afforded a higher priority as public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic are adjusted. Protecting victims of domestic abuse and robustly pursuing perpetrators remains a key policing priority during the pandemic and beyond. Where the police are dealing with breach of a non-molestation order, we expect them to engage with local IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) and community-based services to ensure that the victim and their children receive appropriate specialist support throughout the criminal justice process.

Domestic Abuse: LGBT People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is providing to LGBTQ+ people who have experienced parental abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has taken considerable action during the pandemic to assess and combat the impact of COVID-19 on all victims of domestic abuse. This includes LGBT+ individuals and the guidance we have published on gov.uk provides specific advice for members of the LGBT+ community.We also continue to support the National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse helpline, providing £120,000 of funding each year since 2016. The helpline provides a vital service for LGBT+ individuals who are or have been victims of domestic abuse, including parental abuse. This important service has remained available to victims throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.In addition to our regular funding, the Home Office has announced £2 million in funding to alleviate the increased pressures of COVID-19. This money ensures that helplines and online services continue to be readily available to victims. £1.2 million of this has already been allocated, including funding for the charity Galop, the organisation that runs the LGBT+ helpline. This funding is on top of the Treasury’s £750 million package to bolster charities, £76 million of which will support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery, whilst also ensuring that vulnerable children and young people continue to get the help they need.

Wales Office

Local Government Finance: Wales

Craig Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on support for local authority finances throughout Wales.

Simon Hart: I have had many online meetings with Welsh Government ministers over recent months, including several discussions with Ken Skates, the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales. These discussions have covered multiple topics, including the support that is being made available through Local Authorities to support businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The finances of local authorities in Wales is devolved and is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Contracts

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure enhanced monitoring of contracts awarded using the exemptions in Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 during the covid-19 outbreak.

Beth Winter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts awarded using the exemptions in Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 during the covid-19 outbreak have been published more than 20 days after being awarded.

Chloe Smith: Details of central government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/SearchThe Government has rigorous controls in place to challenge spend robustly and ensure that the actions of central government contracting authorities are open, fair and transparent.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40706 on Subversion: Russia and the Answer of 18 June 2020 to Question 59573 on Intelligence and Security Committee, what timeframe is for the Intelligence and Security Committee to be established; and whether the current circumstances referred to have affected that timeframe.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 59573 on 18 June 2020. The Committee is being formed in the normal way and as quickly as current circumstances allow. An announcement will be made in due course.

Elections: EU Nationals

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to change the rights of EU citizens resident in the UK to (a) stand and (b) vote in local elections before the local government elections in England and Wales in 2021.

Chloe Smith: The May local elections were postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19.In that context, the UK Government can confirm that resident EU citizens will remain able to vote and stand in the rescheduled May 2021 local elections in England (including London Assembly elections) and the May 2021 Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales. Those elected to office will be able to serve their full term and this will also apply to those elected before 2021.The franchise for local elections are devolved in Scotland and Wales.As I noted to the Hon. Member in previous answers, the UK Government has been clear that the issue of local voting rights of EU citizens living in the UK needs to be considered alongside the rights and interests of British expats living abroad.The Government has signed bilateral voting rights agreements with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg in 2019, and with Poland in May 2020. We continue to work on further bilateral voting rights agreements with other EU member states.

Cabinet: Ministerial Responsibility

Conor McGinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the list of responsibilities and roles undertaken by the National Security Adviser.

Chloe Smith: The National Security Adviser is the principal adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy, policy, capability and civil contingencies.

United Kingdom Security Vetting

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64088 on United Kingdom Security Vetting, what his most recent estimate is of the average time taken to process a routine application in the (a) Counter Terrorist Check, (b) Security Check and (c) Developed Vetting categories.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64088 on United Kingdom Security Vetting, how many applications have been received in the (a) Counter Terrorist Check, (b) Security Check and (c) Developed Vetting categories in 2020; and how many of those applications in each of those categories are designated by United Kingdom Security Vetting as non-routine.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64088 on United Kingdom Security Vetting, if he will publish statistics of the (a) numbers of applications processed and (b) average processing times of those applications in the categories of (i) Counter Terrorist Check, (ii) Security Check and (iii) Developed Vetting for each month since January 2019.

Chloe Smith: Further details relating to the questions asked will not be disclosed in order to safeguard national security. This is in line with the practice of successive administrations.

Department for International Trade

Police: USA

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what records are kept by her Department about end users in the US police for arms that are subject to export controls.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: We keep records on end users only as provided on export licence applications.

Cars: Imports

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to maintain pedestrian protection standards for cars imported from (a) the US and (b) other countries in its negotiation of trade deals for after the transition period.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government has been clear that we will not lower British standards as a part of future free trade agreements.

UK Export Finance: Staff

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff UK Export Finance has (a) in its compliance team and b) dedicated to work on anti-corruption due diligence.

Graham Stuart: There are currently five full time equivalent (FTE) staff in UK Export Finance’s Compliance Division, alongside a further team of four FTE staff who undertake financial crime (including bribery and corruption) due diligence screening on transactions.

UK Export Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many claims UK Export Finance received by region in each month since January 2020; and how much UK Export Finance paid out in claims since 1 January 2020.

Graham Stuart: Between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020, UK Export Finance (UKEF) received claims related to 22 deals, broken down as follows MonthNo. of claimsRegion(s)January0 February22 related to AsiaMarch11 related to AsiaApril0 May42 related to the Americas 1 related to Asia 1 related to EuropeJune151 related to Africa 7 related to the Americas 5 related to Asia 2 related to Europe During that period, UKEF has paid out claims totalling USD 2,759,320.27.

Riot Control Weapons: Chile

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that crowd control equipment and ammunition sold under export licences to Chile are used for training purposes only.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: I have been sorry to see the unrest on the streets of Santiago and I can assure the Hon. Gentleman that all export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any items. Assessments under Criterion 2 in particular, include the respect of rights and freedoms in the country of final destination. A licence will not be issued if, to do so, would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. We continue to monitor global developments closely and are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require, in line with the Consolidated Criteria.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Taxis

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many private hire cars his Department has used since 2015; how long each journey was; and what the cost was of those journeys to the public purse.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate response.

Gambling: Children and Young People

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of gambling advertising on children and young people.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the exposure of children to gambling advertising.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to restrict gambling advertising in children’s computer games.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Betting and Gaming Council and (b) sports clubs on reducing the level of gambling advertising in sport in the last 12 months.

Nigel Huddleston: All gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement. Ads must never be targeted at children or vulnerable people and operators face sanction if their advertising or sponsorship activities are not carried out in a socially responsible way. These rules mean that an operator would face sanctions from the Advertising Standards Authority or the Gambling Commission if their advertising were to appear in computer games targeted at children. The realistic reproduction of a team football shirt in a computer game based on football is not considered advertising simply because there are logos on the shirt. The Advertising Standards Authority’s latest figures on TV gambling advertising show that children’s exposure has fallen from an average of 4.4 ads per week in 2013, to 2.5 per week in 2019. At the Gambling Commission’s urging, industry has committed to make better use of advertising technology to target adverts away from children online and on social media. From July 2020 the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible advertising will require operators to ensure advertising is targeted only at those over 25 years old on social media and to age-gate operator YouTube channels and content. The Government assessed the evidence on advertising in its Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, the full response to which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures. Since then, in March this year, the charity GambleAware has published the final report of a major piece of research into the effect of gambling marketing and advertising on children, young and vulnerable people. That study found that while there was some indication that exposure to advertising was associated with an openness to gamble in the future amongst children and young people aged 11-24 who did not currently gamble, there were other factors that correlated more closely with current gambling behaviour amongst those groups including peer and parental gambling. It did not suggest a causal link between exposure to gambling advertising and problem gambling in later life. Ministers have regular meetings with stakeholders on a range of issues. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the government’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?content_store_document_type=transparency&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-digital-culture-media-sport.

Gambling: Suicide

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the  Advisory Board for Safer Gambling report, Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, published on 26 June 2020, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Gambling Commission makes progress on tackling gambling related suicide.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission investigates the oversees activities of its remote gambling licensees where there is suspected wrong doing.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether UK licensees operate remote gambling in grey or black market jurisdictions where gambling is prohibited.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the (a) Gambling Commission and (b) Betting and Gaming Council trade body do not maintain a public list of jurisdictions which permit remote gambling; and if he will take steps to require that such a list is made available.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission exercises quality controls over its list of entities which are entitled to receive research, education, prevention and treatment funding.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of whether the Betting and Gaming Council trade body should permit members to profit from online gambling in jurisdictions where gambling is not permitted.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Gamstop in enabling people to put in place controls to restrict online gambling activity; and what steps his Department is taking to improve self-exclusion.

Nigel Huddleston: The Gambling Commission’s role is to license and regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain, advising the Government on matters relating to gambling and ensuring that operators abide by strict requirements intended to keep gambling fair and open and crime free and to protect children and vulnerable people. Operators providing gambling facilities to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Commission and comply with the conditions of their operating licences. It expects them to obey the laws of all other jurisdictions in which they operate, and requires them to report any regulatory investigation or finding into their activities in any other jurisdiction. They must inform the Commission if they have a substantial customer base outside of Britain and state why they consider they are legally able to offer facilities to those customers. Requiring the Commission to complete, publish and maintain a jurisdiction by jurisdiction legal analysis of a range of combinations of products and supply arrangements would require a significant expenditure of resource in an area which does not relate to its core responsibility to regulate gambling in Great Britain. The Commission considers it is for operators to satisfy themselves that they are acting in a lawful manner in other jurisdictions and if they are found not to be, it will re-assess their suitability to hold a licence to offer gambling services in Britain. The Commission’s list of research, prevention and treatment organisations is intended to give clarity to operators on where they may direct funding to satisfy the licence condition requirement of an annual financial contribution. It requires organisations on the list to demonstrate suitable independent oversight, such as regulation by the Charity Commission, and to make a commitment to collaborate with other bodies in order to prioritise actions to reduce gambling harms. In March 2020 the Commission amended its licence conditions and codes of practice to make it mandatory for operators to be integrated to GAMSTOP, the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. The charity GambleAware has commissioned the first phase of a study to assess the impact of multi-operator self-exclusion schemes, including those for online gambling. This first phase is nearing publication and we will consider its findings carefully. The Advisory Board for Safer Gambling’s Progress Report on the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms made a number of recommendations on gambling-related suicide, but these are within the remit of bodies other than the Commission. The Government is considering the report carefully.

Sports: Coronavirus

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) local councils and (b) grassroot sports clubs on whether (i) basketball and (ii) other contact sports can be resumed at the local level as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sport and physical activity is hugely important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. That is why the Government continued to permit people to take daily physical activity, including walking, running and cycling, even during the height of the lockdown. The latest guidance on the phased return of sport and recreation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation. The Government is in discussions with representatives from the sport and physical activity sector about the steps required to get remaining sports up and running (including team sports and contact sports). We will update the public when it is deemed safe to do so.

Music: Coronavirus

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will publish guidance for (a) youth and child and (b) adult choirs on planning to recommence safely during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: Current Public Health England assessment is that singing carries a potential higher risk of transmission and that participation in this activity requires particular attention to the risk involved. Based on this, Government guidance proposes a precautionary risk-based approach to certain activities and aims to develop the ways activities can be carried out as the evidence base is better understood.To help support the development of the evidence base in regards to singing, DCMS is engaged in a number of scientific activities focusing on the need to understand the different risks associated with singing, brass and woodwind. DCMS is working closely with SAGE and a number of specialists in aerosol transmission and ventilation, who will focus on a number of critical research questions. These groups will be examining existing and emerging evidence to provide advice to guide the future development of policy and guidelines.Sector wide guidance for the performing arts returning to rehearsal and performance safely will be published in due course.

Tourism: Coronavirus

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on tourism in London; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the tourist industry in coastal areas; and if he will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: We recognise the COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the coastal tourism industry. DCMS, DEFRA, MHCLG and VisitEngland remain in regular contact with tourism stakeholders and Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) in coastal regions to closely monitor the situation and to assess the economic effects. The Chancellor has announced a host of measures to support businesses and individuals through the crisis, including those in the tourism sector. This includes the recently extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Bounce Back Loans scheme. Through VisitEngland, we announced a £1.3 million scheme to provide financial support to DMOs at risk of closure due to COVID-19. The DMO Resilience Fund has supported a number of coastal DMOs around the country, as well as the National Coastal Tourism Academy, enabling them to continue their vital business support work. From 4 July, people will be allowed to enjoy holidays at the coast in England. To help coastal tourism businesses prepare, we have published reopening guidance on Gov.uk for the visitor economy as well as hotels and other guest accommodation.We set up the Cultural Renewal Taskforce to help our sectors’ businesses prepare to reopen when it is safe to do so. Within this taskforce, I meet regularly with stakeholders through the Visitor Economy Working Group. We will continue to engage with the industry to assess how we can most effectively support the coastal tourism’s recovery.

Bowling: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with the ten-pin bowling sector on their safe re-opening as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. The Government is committed to reopening leisure facilities including Bowling Alleys as soon as it is safe to do so. The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become Covid-secure and re-open as early as possible in July. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.

Ice Skating: Coronavirus

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timeframe is for the reopening of (a) Olympic-sized ice rinks for training and (b) other ice rinks as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active.The Government has made it clear that it will adopt a phased approach based on scientific and medical advice, and that the primary goal is to protect public health. The Government is in discussions with representatives from the sport and physical activity sector about the steps required to restart grassroots sport and will update the public when it is deemed safe to reopening indoor sports venues and facilities as soon as it is safe to do so, including ice rinks.

Snooker: Coronavirus

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his timescale is for the reopening of snooker clubs as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Snooker clubs have been allowed to open since 4 July, as long as they can follow the COVID-secure guidelines.

Music: Licensed Premises

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that Government proposals to reform planning regulations retain protections for grassroots music venues.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise the value of grassroots music venues and understand that this sector is facing significant challenges due to the Coronavirus pandemic. During this period we are committed to finding the best ways to protect them so that they can continue to exist as a vital part of the music ecosystem, feeding this country’s love of a broad range of culture. DCMS officials have been in regular dialogue with their Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government counterparts and will continue to work together closely. Changes to planning processes to support the high street revival, announced by the Prime Minister on 30 June 2020, will also recognise the value of retaining cultural buildings such as grassroots music venues and theatres rather than encouraging their change of use.

Football: Clubs

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the English Football League's owners and directors test for appointing appropriate club owners.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Premier League's fit and proper persons test for appointing appropriate club owners.

Nigel Huddleston: Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history. It is vital they are protected. The Owners’ and Directors’ Tests are administered by the football authorities and consider the objective suitability of prospective owners and directors. They are not subjective tests of intentions or capability. However, the Government is committed to undertaking a fan led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test. I recently met with the EFL to discuss the progress of their own review into club governance and will continue to work closely with the football authorities as we decide the scope and structure of the government review.

Casinos: Coronavirus

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Public Health England on the reasons for not allowing casinos to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the safety measures planned to be introduced by casinos to protect customers during the covid-19 outbreak; and what the timescale is for allowing casinos to be reopened.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the financial effect of the lockdown restrictions due to the covid-19 outbreak on casinos; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will visit a casino to observe the safety measures being put in place to counter the spread of covid-19.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS officials are in regular contact with Public Health England and the casino sector to discuss the protections that are needed to allow casinos to reopen safely. This includes arranging a visit for public health representatives to assess the measures which are in place. I have spoken with representatives of the sector about the impacts of closure, and the government is working to ensure casinos can open as soon as the medical and scientific advice is that it is safe to do so.

Sports: Coronavirus

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to (a) allow the reopening of five-a-side football premises and (b) permit small numbers of people to take part in contact sport as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. The Government has made it clear that it will adopt a phased approach based on scientific and medical advice, and that the primary goal is to protect public health. The Government is in discussions with representatives from the sport and physical activity sector about the steps required to restart grassroots sport and will update the public when it is deemed safe to reopen indoor sports venues and facilities, including five-a-side football premises.